Crash Course
by Crayola Hearts
Summary: Fate has a funny way of connecting people.
1. Chapter 1: Hit and Run

_**Notes:**_ I've been lurking around this particular ship for a while now, mostly just reading fics and things, but inspiration hit me during my math class, and instead of doing my work, I ended up scribbling down the idea.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1: Hit and Run<strong>_

Her hands were shaking as the morning air enveloped her. Even with the protection of her favorite gloves, she could still feel winter's numbing bite against her skin. She glanced up at the sky and loosened the scarf around her neck. The clouds had thickened considerably since she first woke up; it was going to snow later, and that in itself was off. It was unusual for it to be so cold this early in the year, but the weather had been acting strange all year - at this point nobody paid it any mind. She did, however. Meteorology was her major, after all.

And she was a rare gem among her class. Most of them struggled to predict a single rainstorm, but she had predicted not only that, but the massive storm that tore through their town a year earlier. Because of her, the casualties had been kept to a minimum. Her outstanding ability had earned her a scholarship for the rest of her program, through textbooks and materials weren't covered. It was mostly her tuition really, but she wasn't complaining. That was more money in her pockets and less loans she'd have to pay back.

Reaching into the designer purse hanging from her shoulder, she withdrew her phone. It was difficult to operate the touch screen at first, her hands were cold and the gloves weren't helping matters, though after a few moments of struggle, she managed to bring up the dial pad and key in a number before hitting the send button. It rang twice before someone spoke on the other end.

"You're late." The response was calm, though she could hear the slightest trace of a chuckle intertwined with her words.

"Sorry, Robin. I had to take care of something this morning." She sighed. In the back of her mind she made a mental note to buy better locks for her door and window.

Robin chuckled. "Luffy-san again, I presume? Nami-san, perhaps you should invest in a deadbolt."

Nami shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "Knowing him, he'll end up breaking it."

Some would say that Nami was over exaggerating, but Robin knew all too well that she was being serious. "This is true," she said after a moment. "I've almost finished my math notes, so they'll be ready for you to copy when you get here."

Nami smiled in relief. She'd lost her own set when she'd been drenched by a passing truck on her way home from class. She'd been fuming the whole way, cursing about how cliche it was and how stupid the driver was, among other things; and with her exam steadily approaching, her nerves were fried. That was the only class she had a low B in; she needed to pass that exam with flying colors. "Thank you, Robin. You're a life saver."

"You did let me borrow your math notes last week," Robin pointed out. "Well, I have a few more questions to finish. I'll see you when you get here."

The line went dead. Nami put the phone back in her purse and crossed the street when the light at the crosswalk turned white, signalling it was safe. Once on the other side, she began leisurely walking towards the small cafe on the corner of the street. It had been her favorite as a child, and over the years, all of them had slowly made it their second home. Not that the owner minded, in fact she seemed to _like_ it that they were there, despite the fact that things could quickly become...hectic when the entire group was present. Sanji and Zoro, the two who got along the least in the group, had broken several tables when another one of their pointless fights had gone wrong. Unfortunately for Nami, neither one could pay the repair, leaving her to cover the expenses.

Just thinking of it was enough to make her want to bury their heads in concrete the next time she saw them.

As she drew nearer to the cafe, the wind seemed to pick up just a little bit; the first indication of a snowstorm. Nami simply adjusted the hem of her jacket and pulled the edges of it closer. There was no need to worry now, if her prediction was correct, as they usually were, the snowstorm wouldn't be until later that night.

A few moments later she was standing in the doorway of the small cafe, grateful for the the far end, in the corner they always claimed, Robin sat with her head propped up by the palm of her hands as she worked out the last problem. She didn't even raise her head as Nami slipped into the booth and settled beside her.

"I thought you sounded stressed in the phone," Robin mused once she'd finished. She put the papers in order and handed them to Nami. "You look even more so in person."

"Collage does that to you." She mumbled. "Especially with exams approaching quickly."

Robin hummed in agreement and tucked a chunk of inky tresses behind her ear. "You'll be alright, Nami-san. If any of us has the capability to make it through college, it's you."

"You forgot to mention yourself," Nami pointed out. Robin smiled at her.

"I already dropped out once, and if things keep going the way they are with my family..."

Her words trailed off, but Nami caught the meaning. A lot of things had been going wrong in Robin's family since she was younger, and things only seemed to be getting worse as her former foster parents were in the process of trying to file a lawsuit. For what, she wasn't sure; Robin had been mute on the subject, though she insisted it was nothing serious. Then again, it was hard to tell with Robin. It could just as easily be something major as it could be minor. Out of all of them, Robin was definitely one of the most mysterious. Not that any of them cared; she'd be there if they needed her and that was good enough for them.

"Have you considered marriage yet?"

The sudden question caught her off guard. For a moment, Nami could only stare dumbly. "I'm not even out of college yet!"

"Vivi got married right after high school." Robin pointed out.

"Vivi's father is also the owner of a multimillion dollar corporation that she'll be taking over. She isn't going to college, she doesn't need to, Unlike me, she actually has _time_ for that, and she's known her husband since they were kids." Nami breathed a sigh. "Besides, every guy I know is a blundering idiot."

Robin hummed lowly before closing her math book and slipping it into her bag. "You'll find someone eventually."

Nami gave her a sceptical look. "Not with those idiots around. Every possibly candidate has been scared off before I even had a chance at a second date, sometimes before the first one even."

A moment of silence settled over them as Robin digested what she was saying. It was true that their friends had a terrible habit of scaring off any potential relationship they could have had, and while Robin didn't really pay it much attention, she knew that it was beginning to bother Nami. Most people who didn't know Nami well thought that she was just desperate; that she _needed_ a boyfriend to feel better about herself, but that wasn't the case at all. Nami didn't care if she stayed single the rest of her life, she didn't care about all of that, what really bothered her about her friend's actions, though in good nature as they were a protective bunch, was the fact that though they didn't say it directly, they were implying that she couldn't handle it on her own.

It made her feel like she was weak.

Though heavens know she wasn't. Granted she may not have been as strong as the boys, but she was intelligent and manipulative, and she didn't trust easily, which had helped her in the long run. She wasn't so naive to fall for the first person who proclaimed his love to her, nor was she willing to allow herself to be walked all over. She was a strong woman who had gotten herself out of more than one dangerous situation over the years, but she still couldn't shake that lingering feeling that they were still _too_ protective over her.

"They care about you," Robin said simply, as if reading her thoughts. "Granted they show it in a rather...obnoxious way, but it's not just you."

Nami vaguely remembered the night when they'd managed to convince Zoro to take Tashigi out. He'd been drunker than hell when he finally gave in, but when he tried to slip out of it the following day, he'd gotten an earful from Sanji and enough death threats to fill a book. Granted Sanji had been the most adamant on him not hurting her, but she could see it in the eyes of the others; the silent agreement with what Sanji had said; even Luffy (to her surprise and everyone else's') agreed.

She wasn't sure what happened that night, though, as Zoro refused to say anything on the matter, and Tashigi was mute about it as well. Sanji had almost torn his head off in fear that he'd gone and hurt her, but Tashigi had quickly assured him nothing of the sort happened. Zoro was, and had always been, a private person; nothing more, nothing less.

But Robin had a point. It wasn't just her they were like that with, but she still didn't agree with the way they handled things. A small sigh tore itself from her lips as she leaned forward and rested her head on her arms. "I suppose you're right." Then she smiled. It was almost cat like; and all of their friends knew that smile meant Nami was up to something. "And what about you? Have you considered marriage yet?"

Robin smiled pleasantly. "I might have contemplated it at one point, but given my current situation, I believe it would be best to wait until things cool off."

Reasonable as always. And Nami was thankful for that; at least there was one person she could hold a decent, intelligent conversation with, and she was the only other girl in the group, which had certainly offered her a bit more comfort when talking about certain things. Though the woman could be rather gloomy, she did offer much needed support to Nami.

Robin shouldered her bag. "I have to go to work early today. Don't stress yourself too much, Nami-san."

Nami gave her a tired smile. She would at least _try_ not to, though she knew all too well that such a thing wasn't possible. She'd end up just as frazzled as she had last semester. There was no doubt in her mind that she would. Sighing in defeat, she pulled out her notebook and began copying the small packet Robin had left her.

If there was one thing she liked about copying Robin's notes, it that she was very particular about them. Everything, reasoning and all, was written down in a well organized format that made studying nearly ten times easier. Part of her regretted not paying attention when her math teacher had gone over how to take proper notes back in high school, but the other part didn't care. It was over and done, and there was really nothing she could do accept try to find her own way to organize things, aside from the few times she copied from someone else.

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><p>It was nearly dark by the time she had finished all fifteen pages of notes. They covered the three main points to the exam, as well as what ever else was there. In the middle of shuffling through them earlier, she'd found a copy of the exam. It wouldn't surprise her in the least if Robin had told her she stole it; though stealing was Nami's forte, Robin was rather capable in that department as well. It probably hadn't been easy to slip it away from the professor either and in the back of her mind, Nami made a mental note to make it up to her. If she'd been caught, she could have gotten into serious trouble.<p>

Deciding that she'd been there long enough, Nami gathered her things and shoved them into her bag. She waved at the woman behind the counter before slipping her coat on and stepping into the cold winter air. The temperature had dropped considerably since that morning, and there was already a thin layer of snow on the ground. It crunched beneath her boots as she walked. As she approached the corner where she normally crossed, she hit the button on the pole a few feet away and waited.

The traffic wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but it was still pretty bad. She'd been standing at the crosswalk for nearly ten minutes before the light had finally changed to allow her to go. Double checking to make sure no one was running the light, she stepped into the street.

Then she heard it.

She was in the middle of the crosswalk when the unmistakable sound of squealing tires caught her attention. She glanced up, only to see a car coming around the corner at an alarming speed.

They'd run the light.

And she was in the middle of the road.

She didn't feel the impact. She didn't feel a thing, other than her body being lifted off the ground and the heavy thud as her head slammed into the windshield. Everything after that had become a blur, but she was certain she could feel herself rolling off the hood of the car, and if the feeling alone wasn't enough, she was eye-level with the street, staring forward in a haze. People were jumping out of cars and running towards her, she could tell that much, but they all began to fade into a giant mix of colors.

Something moved behind her, and she heard squealing tires again. Had her mind been clear, she would have understood what just happened; someone had run a red light, they'd hit her, and then they'd fled.

They fucking fled.

She didn't attempt to move, her body felt too tired and heavy for that. Consciousness was eluding her, and before she could begin fighting it, her eyes were closing and the odd sounds around her had become nothing but ringing silence. She saw flashing lights, and then nothing at all.

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><p><em><strong>Note: <strong>_In my defense, I have no idea what it's like to be hit by a car, so I kind of had to ask a friend who had, and that's how she described it.

I also promise the rest of the chapters will be longer (and probably better written)

But ya'll should review it and shit. :D


	2. Chapter 2: A Fair Amount of Luck

**Note: **To be completely honest I was kind of nervous about posting the first chapter due to the fact that it's been a while since I've tried to write anything for One Piece (I actually just got back into it about a month ago), but the reviews I've gotten thus far have really ramped up my motivation to continue this so, thank you. I really appreciate it. :D

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 2: A Fair Amount of Luck<strong>_

The first thing she was aware of was darkness. It stretched around her, enveloping her in its presence. It wasn't menacing, or anything like that, it was almost comfortable in the way one would feel when they're half asleep; too tired to be awake, but too awake to be completely in slumber; it was the feeling of being at the edge of both. It was a difficult feeling to put in words.

She could hear something, though it sounded distant, almost echoing in the back of her mind; a constant and steady beep that never seemed to dissipate, despite how much she willed it to - it was beginning to annoy her. As time passed, though she wasn't completely sure how long, it began to grow louder and louder, completely arousing her from her nearly dream like state. But it wasn't enough to force her to open her eyes. No, the overwhelming pain that had washed over her at that moment kept them shut.

She felt like she'd been dropped off a cliff. Every part of her body ached, even her chest seemed to protest with every breath she took. There was a strong smell in the air, one that distinctively reminded her of a hospital; granted she'd only been in one maybe once or twice in her life, but the smell was hard to forget. It could almost be described as the scent of _steril_. Though she had never liked the smell, she didn't dwell on it much - in fact she was finding it difficult to dwell on anything with the annoying beeping in the background.

In reality, the sound wasn't that loud, but it was enough that she could hear it, and with the raging headache that had taken her as soon as she became remotely conscious, it was only making her feel worse. She had half a mind to turn it off, whatever the hell it was, but she found that the slightest movement caused an overwhelming bout of pain to fall over her. She couldn't help but suck in a pained breath.

Almost immediately afterwards, she heard something shuffle. It was the rustle of clothes moving followed by the clinking of metal and and soft scribbling, as if someone was writing on wood. Though she could not see it, she felt someone's presence a moment later. There was more shuffling, the occasional touch, and a series of low hums.

"Vitals are alright," she heard a woman mumble, "and she's stirring. The anesthesia is wearing off."

She shifted again, her leg this time, feeling the pain once more, though it was a little more bearable. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable; she had never been a back sleeper, and just laying straight and stiff as a board was beginning to bother her, but she made no attempt to turn over; if it hurt to move her leg not even an inch, it was going to feel like hell trying to roll over.

"She's lucky," another voice spoke. It was lower than the last, and much more gravely. It also seemed to lack the concern the woman's had bore.

"Considering her condition when she was brought in, she truly is." The woman sighed.

She could almost _feel _the sympathy in her voice.

"Well, not many people can take being hit by a car going nearly forty miles per hour." The man stated. "In fact the death rate for such an occurrence ranges between fifty and ninety percent."

"Doctor, it's not in good taste to talk about such things, especially in front of a patient, who may or may not be able to hear." The nurse chided. There was a huff in her voice.

"I had planned to tell her when she woke anyway," the man - the Doctor - replied with nonchalance. "If she hears it now, I doubt she'll understand the implications of what I'm saying."

The Doctor had been right about that.

Hit by a car? It certainly would explain the pain all over her body, but was she really? She wasn't fully conscious yet, though she did try to search her mind for some sort of explanation. All she found was nothing but empty and incoherent thoughts and a desire to fall back into a state of unconsciousness. She felt exhausted, though why she wasn't sure, but the need for sleep seemed to be the most prominent thing in her mind at the moment, refusing her to focus on anything else until the distant beeping and conversation had faded to nothingness once more.

...

The second time she woke up, there were ten worried faces staring down at her. It had taken her hazy mind a moment to place the names with the faces and vise versa, but she eventually managed. "Luffy, Robin, Vivi, Zoro, Sanji, Franky, Chopper, Usopp, Brook, Nokijo, Zoro." She let her gaze fall on each one of them as their names left her lips in a hoarse whisper.

All of them suddenly looked relieved.

"She remembers us, thats good," Chopper said, smiling brightly, though there were tears in her eyes. "No serious brain damage from what I can see."

For a moment, she wondered how he knew that, but it slowly drifted into her mind that he was in fact a medical intern. Almost a doctor now, or close to being able to call himself one. If he said she was fine, she figured it must be true. But the smile seemed to slip from his face for a moment.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Luffy asked, turning to look at him.

"Either she has the devil's luck, or the doctor who saw to her was tremendously well trained." He stated. "Not many people can wake up from a car accident like that without a head injury."

"I believe it's a mixture of both."

Chopper turned to look at the person who had spoken. "She was fortunate she didn't get a severe head injury, yes, but she was also lucky the best doctor on the floor was able to treat her. It isn't often that he's free enough to take emergency patients."

The circle of faces disappeared as they all stepped back to allow the woman through. She smiled kindly at Nami, and carefully began examining her. "She had a severe concussion upon coming here, though at this point, I think it's safe to say it's gone; it's been six days and...," she shone a light in her eyes, "she seems to be fine."

Nami blinked, seeing blind spots in her vision for a few moments afterwards.

"But just because the concussion is gone, it doesn't mean that she won't still feel the symptoms afterwards."

_Great news, _Nami thought sarcastically. Though in reality, it probably was. She was alive, and likely in better condition that she probably should have been, and if listening to the nurse and Chopper speak, she was certain a fair amount of sheer luck was the blame for it. But she couldn't blame it all on luck either; when it really came down to it, it was the doctor who had really saved her.

"How long until she can go home?" Sanji asked, his hand reaching for the cigarette that wasn't present.

"Another week or so."

She glanced past the nurse, her eyes resting on a tall man. He was wearing a white labcoat with a stethoscope draped around his neck. Unlike all the other doctors Nami had seen in her life, he wasn't offering them a polite smile, or even attempting to look like he was being profesional. Instead, he was leaning against the frame to her room, his hand shoved in his pockets and his face impassive. He almost looked bored, to her.

Chopper nodded. "It would probably best if someone stayed with her for a few days afterwards, just in case"

Sanji perked up almost immediately, but Zoro cut him off before he could volunteer. "Someone who isn't going to freak out every time she tries to go to the bathroom."

The jab didn't go by unnoticed, but the blond refused to act on it; he had the decency to at least remember where he was and why he was here. Starting a fight in the middle of Nami's hospital room was certainly going to get them all kicked out, and possibly irritate her as well. For once, he held his tongue, though he didn't hold back the glare.

"Visiting hours end in twenty minutes." The doctor stated and turned to leave.

No introduction, no goodbye, nothing.

The nurse smiled at the group apologetically. "He's a bit rough around the edges when it comes to dealing with people, but despite that, he's a phenomenal doctor, so don't let his attitude and appearance get to you; he's actually rather laid back."

The last twenty minutes were a bit hectic. Luffy was so overjoyed that she was alright that he wouldn't sit still. He and Usopp kept doing their 'happy dance' as Robin had once called it, yelling and laughing as loudly as they could. Chopper was constantly checking her vitals, something he didn't need to do, but it was pure instinct at this point. Off in the back of the room, Franky and Zoro were busy trying to explain to Sanji that he couldn't stay overnight, no matter how much he wanted to.

Eventually the time trickled down, and they all took their leave, waving goodbye and declaring that they'd be back tomorrow. While she was grateful for their concern, she wasn't exactly pleased about the idea of them coming to cause a ruckus again. It had only served to worsen her headache.

...

A week had passed before she knew it.

In the end, she had a broken leg and a broken rib, but she was deemed well enough to go home later that day. There were a few bad cuts on her side and one on her left arm from the hood of the car, but they were healing as they were supposed to be. If things kept going as well as they were, she suspected she'd be better in no time.

Visiting hours had ended nearly fifteen minutes ago, and though she hadn't been paying attention the first few times, she was surprised they had let all of them in. When she asked the nurse about it, she laughed.

"They begged me the first time, I got in trouble for it though." There was no remorse in her tone, and she continued in the same lighthearted manner, "they even begged Dr. Law. Of course, at first he was adamant not to let more than two in at a time, but..."

"They annoyed him to the point where he let them all in, didn't they?"

The nurse smiled at her. "Well, in reality it was just most of the boys, especially the blonde and the one with the scar under his eye."

She sighed at that. She had suspected as much; Nojiko, Robin, and Vivi were too well behaved to stoop down to that, and Chopper knew better than to ask. Those idiots were going to get her into trouble one day. They never really did think before they acted sometimes.

"I have to go check up on a few patients, but the doctor should be in shortly to see you out."

Just as the nurse gathered her things and set a foot out the door, Nami spoke up. "Thank you. It probably wasn't easy to take care of me and deal with _them_."

The nurse smiled. "There's no need to thank me, Miss Nami. I really did nothing but watch the vital signs and make sure you were fed. Dr. Law was the one who saved your life, he deserves the gratitude."

"You still took care of me." Nami insisted.

The nurse laughed. "If you insist. The doctor will tell you this, but if something happens or you don't feel right, just call him about it."

"I'll remember that." She smiled as the nurse disappeared from the room.

She had almost fallen asleep again when the door opened and the doctor stepped in, looking unsurprisingly stoic. _Sometimes I think his voice puts his face to sleep. _It was rude, she knew it, but there were times she thought it was true. Then again, from what he'd heard from Chopper, being a doctor wasn't as easy as people thought it was.

Without a word to her, he went through a quick check up. Not that she minded, she was more focused on the fact that she could go home soon, and needless to say she was more than happy to get away from the hospital; being bedridden for two weeks was beginning to take it's toll on her.

He seized the pair of crutches the nurse had left before her departure. "They're all waiting for you downstairs."

She gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if they were a problem, but thank you. Really, you saved my life."

He was silent for a moment, his expression unchanging. "You're free to go."

Without another word after that, he helped her from the bed until she was firmly situated with the crutches.

She pursed her lips at the lack of acknowledgement, though she'd seen it coming. She'd tried thanking him a couple of times over the days she'd been there, and she bore the same results; a change of subject or total silence all together.

He followed her to the elevator, but that's as far as he went. Another nurse was waiting for her there, smiling just brightly and kindly as the one that had been taking care of her. "Good to see you're better," she said.

When they entered the elevator, the nurse continued talking. "I was one of the nurses who took care of you when you first came in. It's really a relief to see that you're okay."

"I'm surprised I'm okay, honestly," she said and pushed a chunk of coppery hair from her face. "From what everyone's been saying, I looks like I've been really lucky."

The nurse smiled at her. "Some people are, sometimes there really is no way to explain it."

There was a ding as the elevator came to a stop, the doors sliding open. The nurse let Nami off first, but fell into step beside her once she too was in the hall. "Your sister has already taken care of the checkout process, so as soon as they're ready, you're free to go."

She gave the nurse a sincere smile before hobbling towards the exit. She hadn't even gotten through the doors before her friends were running towards her. They were making a ruckus again, if the annoyed shushing from the front desk was anything to go by, but she was so overwhelmed with excitement to be going home that she didn't really care.

"Sanji! We're having a party and Nami's!"

"Don't go deciding things like that on your own!" Nami screeched, though she knew they weren't listening. They were happy she was alright, and she couldn't really blame them; she could only imagine how worried they'd been.

Maybe this one time, she'd let it slide, but only this once.

...

The thing about their parties was that there was no such thing as _too far_. Given her current state, Nami had assured them she wouldn't touch the alcohol for at least another week, terms which Chopper had deemed agreeable, but that didn't stop her from convincing Sanji to make her a 'virgin' Shirley Temple to celebrate. One little drink couldn't hurt, she had reasoned, but she really meant to keep her word when she said she would stay away from the Sake and Vodka.

As the night dragged on, Nami found it increasingly difficult to get them to calm down even a little bit. It was past midnight, two hours passed the slated 'quiet time'. The last thing she needed after having just gotten out of the hospital was a police visit. When reason didn't work, she went for a more simple yet effective approach.

She told them the noise was making her head hurt.

Needless to say she was surprised at how quickly they'd quieted down. Their wild party had mellowed into a simple poker game for those who were still awake. The rest of them had passed out in various places, some exhausted and others drunk.

"That doctor was rather attractive," Robin stated out of the blue. "His personality could use some work but..." She turned her gaze to Nami, who rolled her eyes in return.

She knew Robin was only teasing her to keep the situation light; after what had happened over the past two weeks it was needed.

"He had the word DEATH tattooed on his hand," Nojiko said wearily. "To be completely honest, that made me uncomfortable at first, but seeing as Nami is fine..."

"He _was_ some what attractive," Vivi interjected.

"You're married Vivi," Nami chided playfully, but upon seeing the look on her face, she wished she hadn't said anything.

"I might be, but you're not."

Nami glared at her. "Don't you three even dare to try some sort of stunt."

Robin chuckled. "If we were going to try some sort of stunt, we'd be more discreet about it. We're merely teasing you."

She didn't fully believe them. She knew they were up to something, and that something would probably end horribly for her, as most of their schemes did. The last one had left her more embarrassed than it had him, and she'd been so mad at them she wouldn't speak to them for a week; she was not about to let them do something like that again. The only problem? Robin could be rather sneaky and often managed to some how cajole her into whatever she had planned.

No way in hell was she going to let it happen.

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><p><strong>Note: <strong>My medical knowledge is actually very weak, (and my mother is terrible at explaining things without going into doctorate level explanations so most of what I wrote comes from my menial knowledge of medical terms and bits I pulled from google - I fear for whoever tries to go through my search history).

I like devious and scheming Robin. :D

Also, yay two chapters in one day. Now watch, there won't be one for another week or so (actually there'll probably be one tomorrow since I'm already starting on Chapter 3, oops)


	3. Chapter 3: Once is an Accident

**Note: **Again, thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed. It really means a lot~

_**Chapter 3: Once is an Accident, Twice is Coincidence**_

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><p>It was odd.<p>

Normally Robin's scheme would have happened by now, and though she still clung to the idea that it would happen, the week of no incident whatsoever was beginning to somewhat lessen her suspicions. Maybe she really had been teasing her and she was becoming overly paranoid. It wouldn't be the first time. Still, she had reason to feel such a way.

Her professor had allowed her another week to prepare for her exam, given the accident had rendered her unable to attend class the day the exam was given, and for that she was thankful. It took a tremendous amount of stress off her shoulders, and with her copy of Robin's notes, which she had actually studied during her stay at the hospital, passing the exam didn't seem as hard as she had suspected. That didn't deter her from studying still, however. The more information she could retain the better.

"Here, you go, Nami," the waitress said. She smiled and refilled her drink. "It's on the house."

Nami couldn't help but smile and thank the waitress. There were reasons she really loved the small cafe, and the perks like free refills along with discounted food after her accident a few weeks back was one of them. They didn't really need to do that for her; but they did anyway.

She flipped to a new page in her notes and began looking through them, carefully memorizing every formula that had been marked down. Her focus had been so intense that she missed the first time her phone rang. She missed it the second time as well. However the third time it went off, she heard it. Without setting the packet of notes down, she fished her phone out of her purse and answered without even looking at the caller I.D. "Hello?"

"Third time's the charm," she heard Nojiko laugh on the other end. "What are you doing that you can't hear the phone ringing?"

"Studying." Nami replied as she flipped the page. "My exam's next Saturday and I need to have all of this memorized."

Her sister sighed. "Well, I hope you don't plan on spending all day and night looking over your notes."

"Why?" She didn't intend for her responses to be short, or curt sounding, but her focus was mainly on the sheets in front of her, not at the conversation.

"Because Vivi's going home tomorrow morning and we were thinking of having a little get together at the bar down the street from your apartment. You know, kind of a last night fling before she leaves. We might not see her again for a while."

Nami hummed in response, turning the idea over in her head. A break from her studies would be nice, and what Nojiko said was true; there was no telling when they'd see Vivi again, given how busy she was learning the ropes of her father's company and all. Not to mention she had left her husband for two weeks, she probably wanted to see him again. "What time?"

"Around sixish? I'll come get you from the cafe at five. You are _not_ walking home." Her sister's voice was stern; it almost reminded her of her mother's for a moment.

"Alright. Call me when you get here, or just come in if I don't answer."

Nojiko hummed in agreement and ended the call.

A small sigh tore itself from her lips.

She didn't blame Nojiko for her unwillingness to allow her to take herself home, and truth be told, she herself was wary about crossing the street again. In fact, according to what Chopper had said, it might be a while before she'd be able to - he claimed there was a possibility of her having something like post traumatic stress, which she could believe. Despite the fact that she was handling it rather well, there was still the lingering thought in the back of her mind, one that reminded her just how close to dying she was that night.

A shiver ran down her spine. She didn't even want to think about it. It was just another dark memory to be added to the pile; a pile she was desperately trying to forget.

Shoving the thoughts out of her mind, she turned her attention to the pages in front of her, but her focus wasn't what it had been before. Now that the memory of the incident was in her head again, she was beginning to realize just how truly lucky she was. The doctor had told her, flat out with no sugar coating or anything of the sort - she shouldn't have been alive. But she was, and that in itself was a miracle.

_Alive, but just barely, _she thought glumly.

She already had a plan in mind. After her exam was finished, she had every intention of finding a damn good lawyer. She was going to sue the hell out of whoever hit her - especially after she had received the bill for her treatment a few days before. Granted, she knew that just about any lawyer out there would take her case, as there was substantial evidence proving he was in the wrong, as well as many witnesses, but she wanted to make sure she got them good; they had nearly killed her and she sure as hell wasn't going to pay for a bill she wasn't at fault for, nor did she have the money for. No, it was the driver's stupidity and carelessness that had landed her in the hospital and they were going to pay for it.

A small smile graced her lips for a moment as she retrieved her cell phone. She dialed the number and waited.

"Nami-san?"

"Hey Vivi, does your father know any good lawyers? I'm pressing charges against who hit me."

Vivi hummed on the other end of the line. "I can ask him once I get home tomorrow and call you then."

"Good," Nami sighed. "I had the pleasure of hearing that not only would my insurance not pay for a single cent of it, apparently the man who hit me doesn't have insurance to begin with. Which I am also going to bring up in court."

Her friend sighed on the other end of the line. "You're not even trying to milk this and you're already going to be walking away with a large sum. I mean, speeding, running a redlight, fleeing from an accident, driving without insurance, you don't even need a good lawyer. You just need witnesses and the surveillance footage from the street cams, and you're golden."

"I'm going to get every last cent I can out of this case. My medical bill is nearly five grand, Vivi, I don't have enough to cover that, not to mention it's not entirely over yet. I still have to go back in in a few weeks for them to do a check up and make sure my leg is healing properly." She stated, calculating it all in her head. "The bill's more than likely going to exceed seven grand before I'm done. They didn't even include the cast or the x-rays and my insurance isn't paying for anything, aside from the least expensive thing. And that's the ambulance; that's all they're paying for. I mean really, Vivi, the ambulance alone was nine hundred, and I just got that statement this morning."

She was fuming now. "Health care, and I thought _I _extorted people. The freaking funeral bill would be less expensive! Not to mention I'll have to pay the lawyer on top of it all!"

Vivi was silent for a few moments. "You know, I'm sure I can ask my fath-"

"No. I don't want you or your family to pay for this, Vivi. It'd just be another debt I can't pay back." She huffed angrily and tossed her notes onto the table. Her arms shrieked in protest at the sudden movement, but at that moment she was too irate to care. "I learned on lesson though; don't get hurt unless you have about fifty grand as pocket change."

"I'll ask my father about the lawyer. Are you coming to the bar tonight?"

"Yep. Nojiko said she'd be here around five to get me, so I still have about an hour and a half to study before then. We'll talk more later, okay?"

"Alright," Vivi responded. Nami could almost hear the smile in her voice when she continued, "Don't throw a fit and hurt yourself even more, or you might be paying the _doctor_ another visit."

Nami heaved an exasperated sigh. "Are you still going to make fun of me for that?"

"You were so doped up on pain meds, though I was worried, it was still funny."

She'd found out a few days after she'd gotten out that there had been a time where she'd been out of it, under the effect of painkillers, where she'd apparently admitted that she found the doctor attractive. Which, in reality, she didn't. It was nothing more than the drugs talking; she was delirious. She had no idea what she was saying, though the girls (who had been the only ones in the room at the time) refused to let it go.

After that little bit of information became known to her after much harassment and many threats directed towards her sister, she was almost certain that Robin had been planning something.

Just to double check... "Vivi, answer me honestly, is Robin up to something again?"

Vivi was quiet for a few moments, which Nami had learned over the years was not a good sign. It was her way of saying yes, without actually saying yes. "Maybe you should ask her about it? I'm leaving tomorrow, so even if she was, I doubt I'd be in on it."

Nami detected a strange note in her voice, but shrugged it off. In the past, Robin and Vivi hadn't gotten along too well, and she really wasn't sure exactly how or what happened, but they both let it blow over. For the most part they seemed fine now, but Nami could still tell there were times when Vivi had her doubts.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your studying. I'll see you tonight."

* * *

><p>The thing Nami liked about partying at the bar as opposed to her apartment was that, one, she didn't have to clean the mess up, two, she didn't have to worry about them breaking anything of hers, and three, they could be as reckless as they wanted to without the possibility of disturbing the neighbors.<p>

And with Sanji working that night, and his boss was a sweetheart who had felt extremely bad for Nami - everything she ordered was free.

And boy did she take advantage of that.

They had their own booth in the corner, though the nine of them barely fit. Nami was seated on the outside mostly for safety precautions. Her crutches were resting on the seat behind her. It felt good to be sitting there again, especially with everyone together. It almost felt like they were back in high school, though instead of sneaking liquor from Vivi's father's stash, they were all old enough to order their own.

It wasn't long before the groups customary antics began.

After three or so drinks, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were on the table, chopsticks in their noses, jumping around and laughing at the top of their lungs. Franky joined in shortly after, and it wasn't long before Brook had as well. Despite the fact that he was working, Sanji had picked yet another fight with Zoro. Vivi sat in her spot across from Robin, laughing and clapping as the boys started another one of their idiotic dances. Even Robin seemed to be laughing.

As much as she hated to admit it, it felt good to be back in her place; a normal Saturday night. No IVs, no nurses, and no doctor. It was just her friends in a dinky bar, just as it should have been. She reached for her glass, only to snatch her hand away quickly as Zoro and Sanji tumbled over one and other, crashing into the table. Luffy, though shocked by the sudden jolt, couldn't help but laugh as he found himself on laying on the floor behind the mess.

Her drink, knocked over when the boys hit the table, had ended up in her lap, the cup laying sideways, its contents thoroughly soaking her new skirt. An uncontrollable wave of irritance swelled up inside her, and she wasted no time getting her revenge - the crutch was already in her hands before either of them had time to react.

Luffy could only laugh harder at the violent aggression as she relentlessly hit them a couple more times, just for good measure. "Watch what the hell you're doing!"

Under normal circumstances, she would have stormed off, but the cast on her leg hindered her. As angry as she could, she hobbled towards the bar and sat on the stool, nearly falling in the process, but she managed finally.

Before she could even order, the owner was setting a glass of dark tinted liquid before her. "Looks like you have your hands full tonight," he chuckled.

She gave an exasperated sigh in response. "I'm going to end up in the hospital again because of them," she mumbled. She took a large gulp of the drink, feeling it settle in her stomach with a warm glow. "I swear."

She slammed her glass down on the counter, irritance fuling her once more. Her earlier conversation with Vivi hadn't helped to put her in a better mood; in fact all it had accomplished was bringing to light just how much stress this whole situation was putting on her. Almost instantly, she recoiled, feeling a sharp pain in her shoulder.

"I see that you're well enough to _swing your crutch around_."

Nami froze.

Glancing to the left, she found that her suspicion had been true. The doctor who had taken care of her while she was in the hospital sat a few stools away, his head lazily propped up in his hands. He wasn't paying attention to her, his gaze was on the bottles that lined the back wall.

She felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle; a tell tale sign that someone was watching her. Against her better judgment, she glanced over her shoulder to see Robin smiling. It wasn't a devious one, more of a curiously amused sort. Vivi was also looking at her, though her brows were knit in confusion. She glanced at Robin, who simply shook her head.

This wasn't her doing.

It was nothing more than sheer coincidence.

Nami contemplated escaping to her table to be rid of the awkward situation, but decided against it as she noted that Luffy had been pulled into the fray as well. Robin, who usually lingered around through the worst of it, slipped to the booth next to them, Nojiko and Vivi following in suit. Disengaging himself from the massive brawl they'd started, Brook ambled towards the stool beside her, sipping at his drink tentatively.

"Miss Nami, may I se-"

She hit him in the head with the nearest bottle. Typical Brooke, she should have figured such a thing would leave his mouth. Brooke staggered a bit before turning on his heels. He was used to such acts, more often than not, he and Sanji had received their fair share of bloody noses or welts after their failed attempts, and much to Nami's annoyance, it did little to deter them.

"You're going to ruin your shoulder if you keep doing that."

"I'm going to ruin more than just my shoulder by the end of the night," she mumbled. "And since when did you come here?"

He raised a brow at the accusation in her voice. She knew he didn't need to take it into consideration; from the two weeks she'd spent in the hospital she knew well enough that he sometimes liked to toy around with people, most likely for his own entertainment. He had an answer, he just wasn't going to respond right away, or at all.

"I've been coming here for years," was all he said.

At first she thought he was lying. She'd been coming to the bar since they were still in high school; never once did she see him there. She sat there, glaring in his general direction for a few moments before another possibility popped into her head. It was entirely possible he was telling the truth; Nami really wasn't one to pay attention to people in the bar, and to be completely honest with herself, she probably wouldn't have recognized him if he hadn't spoke.

Then again, it wasn't hard to forget someone who had the word DEATH tattooed on his knuckles.

Deciding that she couldn't settle on any sort of reasonable response, she sighed with mild irritance and downed another glass of Scotch. She was going to need more than a couple bottles with the way her day had been progressing.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>How does one Trafalgar Law?

Also, I just made my new tumblr (the link is on my profile) and soon enough I might be opening up prompt requests, but that'll be after I finish the blog.

Note that I do not usually update this fast, especially those who read my Fairy Tail works or know me from that fandom should know this. But what can I say, for some reason I have a lot of motivation. (I've already started on chapter 4 oops)


	4. Chapter 4: Bad Company

**Note: **A big thank you again to everyone who's reviewed. It really is appreciated!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 4: Bad Company<strong>_

When he stumbled into the bar that night, exhausted and irritated after not only being called in but being forced to stay late on his _day off, _he had expected to get a couple drinks and head home for the night.

What he had not been expecting was the rowdy group in the corner, screaming at the top of their lungs. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was; he knew, as if the two weeks he'd spend trying to drown out their annoying whines and complaints to see their dear friend wasn't enough for him. He knew he was going to get in trouble for letting them in the room all at once, but at the time he was too irate with them to care; anything to shut them up.

Another thing he hadn't expected was her to be there, screaming and cursing with all the ferocity of the devil himself. Not even five minutes into his now dreadful visit and he had realized just how she was no different than her friends - loud, rambunctious, and quite annoying. And also seeming to lack brain cells. She'd just been hit by a car, not even fully healed yet, though well enough to be home, but he was almost certain she'd be calling him a few days later to complain about her shoulder.

She shouldn't have been swinging her crutches around like a hellion, mercilessly beating her friends over and over again.

But he didn't really care, either. If she hurt herself, it was her own fault, and he wasn't going to do anything about it. He'd already done what he was going to do; he wasn't going to tend to her every ache and pain (especially once she'd caused herself). He was an ER surgeon, not her primary doctor. From the moment she'd checked out, she was no longer his concern. The only way that could possibly change was if something went horribly wrong and he doubted that would happen.

He grimaced when the sound of glass breaking tore him from his thoughts.

She really was a fiery woman, wasn't she?

His first thought was to ignore her and finish his drink, hoping that the drunker he became, the easier it would be to drown the lot of them out. Of course, he'd decided to speak at that moment, just as a clear warning that she was going to hurt herself, and hopefully, she'd catch the undertone of _I'm not fixing that_.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to notice. She seemed more focused on trying to figure out _why he was there to begin with._

A stupid question really. It was Saturday night, and the bar was steadily filling with people. And he'd just got off work, much as a lot of them had, most likely. And in reality, he should be asking _her_ that, but she wasn't his problem, nor his concern anymore.

When he caught the disapproving look, one that clearly stated she didn't completely agree with his answer, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

He was already wishing she was still in the hospital bed; at least she was quieter then.

What has surprised him the most was her ability to bounce back so quickly. He'd seen many patients who took months to bounce back after something so nerve wracking, but it had already been two weeks since she'd left, and had it not been for the cast on her leg or the bandages covering the road rash on her arm, he would have assumed, at first glance, that she was completely fine.

"Do you plan to do anything about the accident?" The owner asked as he refilled her drink. He turned to him and refilled his own.

She gave an annoyed huff. "Of course! I'm going to sue the hell out of him!" She downed her drink quicker than he'd ever seen anyone and slammed her glass on the counter. "I need the money!"

The owner laughed and shook his head. "Sometimes I think money is all you think about, Miss Nami."

She gave him a half hearted glare. "It's not that! I don't have the money to pay for my school, my medical bills, _and _the lawyer. Have you _seen _my medical bills?!"

He almost smirked. It was no surprise to him that the bill for her treatment was high; ninety-five percent of the time, they were.

"And my insurance _refuses_ to cover it!" She hissed. "They claimed that it was _my _fault. That if _I hadn't been in the road, I wouldn't have gotten hit!"_

While the situation explained her attitude to a degree, it didn't make her any less obnoxious in his mind. Downing the contents of the glass in front of him, he turned his attention away from the seething redhead. Expecting peace in a bar would have been stupid, but he had at least _hoped_ things wouldn't be as bad as they were tonight.

A while later, Nami had abandoned her stool and returned to the table where the girls were.

"Judging by the look on your face," the owner said, bemused, as he refilled the glass once more, "You aren't too keen on that group's antics."

He only snorted in response. "I've had to deal with them more than I would have liked."

The owner smiled at this. "You get used to them after a while, though if you wish to avoid their antics, Friday nights would be the better option; they're almost always here on Saturday."

For once, he was glad he usually worked on Saturdays.

* * *

><p>"So what were you and the doctor talking about?" Robin raised a brow, a small smile turning her lips.<p>

Nami glared at her, though it had no effect; Robin had grown used to it over the years. Not that it had ever bothered her to being with. "Nothing, and I mean that, so don't start implying that you don't believe me."

"I believe her," Nojiko stated. "The conversation seemed far too short to be anything, really."

She couldn't understand it, really. So what if she had said one stupid thing; she'd been out of her mind - delirious - and had absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever. For all she knew, they could have made the whole thing up just to tease her, and possibly to try and make light of the situation. Still, it was at her expense, and she didn't entirely appreciate it.

"Why does it matter anyway?" The woman grumbled. Tonight was a coincidence, nothing more, nothing less.

"We're just teasing, Nami," Vivi giggled. "We did the same thing to Zoro, remember?"

Despite the fact that this was true, and Zoro's had been on a much grander scale, they were still rationalizing.

"Besides," Vivi continued, "consider this my payback for those three years of high school."

Nami could only purse her lips at that. During their Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior years of high school, before Vivi and her husband had gotten together, she had mercilessly teased her after discovering Vivi's undeniable crush on him; for three straight years. It was never anything serious, and Nami did know what limits were, but now that it had been turned onto her, she wasn't feeling all too great about it.

_Karma's a bitch, _as her mother would say.

She almost resigned to their teasing.

Almost.

"Oh fine, continue if you want," she waved her hand dismissively. "Instead of charging you for every jab, I think I'll just tell Kohza some of the things you told me back in high school. You know, the things that you _wouldn't_ tell him?"

Vivi blanched at that. Even now, after having been married to him for nearly five years, there were things she'd told Nami in high school that _still_ embarrassed her, no matter how many times she denied it - things she certainly didn't want _Nami_ to tell him; there was no telling just how far she'd exaggerate.

"Devious as always," Nojiko mused.

Nami glanced around the bar, her eyes inspecting every person to be seen. Her distraction didn't need to be explained; the three girls knew exactly what she was doing. They called it her 'victim search'; she called it 'assessment'. All most all of the booths were full at this point, and there were a couple people, aside from the doctor seated at the bar. She frowned.

There were too many people, and the room itself was too bright. If she were lucky, she might walk away with one or two wallets, but given her current condition, she thought better of it. She had always taken pride in her ability to snatch and run, and if she couldn't get away fast enough, what was the point? A defeated sigh escaped her lips and she slumped forward, bringing the bottle Sanji had brought them to her lips. It was stronger than she liked, which meant Robin had most likely been the one who'd requested it, but she didn't mind. After the buzz settled in and she finally began feeling the effects of the alcohol, it almost seemed no different than water to her.

* * *

><p>Sometime much later, after the bar had cleared out a bit more, Nami perched herself at the bar, more drunk than she'd care to admit. Needless to say the owner was quite shocked when she declined another shot. How many she'd had, she wasn't sure; she'd lost count after fifteen. The owner leaned past her then, his brows rising at the sight.<p>

All of them, aside from Nami were strewn across their corner of the bar, asleep or unconscious.

"I haven't seen them do that since Vivi's wedding party," the owner smirked. "Hell, I remember when you were still kids, always trying to sneak in here in the middle of the night and take something."

That last statement had been directed at her, and rightfully so. She gave him a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of her neck. "It was only a couple bottles every now and then!"

"And the time you cleaned out the register?"

Maybe it wasn't so menial as she had thought. "I haven't done it in a while!" She protested.

The owner simply shook his head at her. "I take it you'll be staying here with them tonight?"

The thought made her grimace. As one would expect, the accident had caused her back problems, and the idea of sleeping on a bench of a floor made her back ache. She dropped her head onto the counter. "I guess so. I don't have my car and I'm too drunk to drive."

The owner glanced at her, and then at the doctor a few seats down. "You're not too drunk are you?"

"If you're asking me to take her home, the answer is no," he responded.

"I'll cut your tab in half." The man said evenly.

The doctor rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Bribery was not something he often gave into, but one glance the woman a few seats down, glaring at him in open hostility made him smirk. She'd opened her mouth to protest, but the owner cut her off. "You are _not_ staying here over night. You're back is going to be screaming in the morning, not to mention you're going to have a hangover from hell."

As much as she'd like to deny it, she knew he was right.

A moment passed before the doctor heaved a sigh. "Whatever."

Nami huffed, not pleased with the set up at all. Granted he was a doctor and he had saved her life, but she was wary. Drunk or not, she knew better than to get in the car of a man she barely knew, especially if he'd been drinking. But her options were limited, and as much as she disliked the idea, it was better than asking any random person in the bar. At least she knew _something_ about him.

"Let's go." His tone was impatient.

Her eyes narrowed again, but she complied. Something told her he wouldn't wait for her, nor would he hesitate to leave her behind. Seizing her crutches from the ground where she'd left them, she hobbled after him, ignoring the stares of the other partons. Such a thing wasn't uncommon; someone was always looking her up and down as if they were some sort of dog and she was a treat, which only added to the reasons her friends were so protective over her.

The air outside was cold, and she tugged the edges of her jacket closer. The ground was covered in a layer of snow that crunched beneath her feet, but beneath that layer, she found when her left crutch slipped and she nearly landed on her backside, there was a patch of ice. Instead of offering her help, much to her annoyance, he simply stood by the hood of his car, a brow raised and an amused smile on her lips.

If there was one thing she was already starting to not like about him; it was that smile, and the oddly amused look in his eyes, one that she could _almost_ deem sadistic.

"Hurry up, before you slip and fall."

It was definitely sadistic. _That bastard's hoping I fall, isn't he?_

She threw the car door open, ignoring the glare he cast at her when she nearly hit the car beside it, and plopped down in the passengers seat with her crutches leaning against her shoulder. She reached for her phone, which she kept in the her bra, and quickly send a mass text to her friends, hoping they'd read it first before freaking out about her not being there in the morning, though that was about as possible as hell freezing over. The girls might check, but she knew the boys wouldn't bother; they never bothered even when their phones were in their hands.

Without much enthusiasm, she gave him the directions to her place wasn't far, but it wasn't exactly close either. It was about a fifteen minute drive from the bar, and it wasn't exactly the prettiest place around, the building itself looked untended, almost abandoned in the middle of the night, but the rent was cheap, and the apartments themselves were surprisingly decent.

When the building came into sight, Law raised a brow. "Judging by the way things seem to be going for you today," there was a hint of a smirk in his voice, one that sent a wave of annoyance through her, "you live on the top floor, don't you?"

She answered him with silence. Of course he'd guess as much - and of course he'd be right.

He pulled into the nearest parking space, and she didn't bother to wait for the car to stop completely before she was hurrying out the door with her crutches in hand. She nearly slipped on another patch of ice, grabbing the door for support. He almost laughed.

She didn't even say thank you as she hobbled her way to the door, swaying drunkenly on her crutches. While he admired her tenacity to get up the stair alone, he could only sit there and watch her for a few moments before an irritated sigh escaped his lips. She was going to fall and hurt herself, and though the sight would prove to be rather amusing, he'd rather not have drive her back to the hospital.

Humoring her for a few more moments, he finally decided enough was enough when she reached the fifth stair and her crutch slipped from her grasp. Huffing he opened the door and stepped out.

"I can get up there myself," she hissed.

The ferocity in her tone didn't stop him. Ignoring her protest, he took the crutches from her and slipped them under one arm while the other grabbed hers tightly, and he all but hauled her onto the next step. She was glaring at him again, a look he seemed to be receiving a lot of that night, but he didn't care. The sooner she got her horrible tempered ass up those stairs, the sooner he could go home and sleep.

She was irritated, but so was he, and her constant attempts to struggle out of his grip were becoming the fuel to the fire. If they hadn't already been on the second flight, he would have flung her over his shoulder and dumped her at the top of the second flight.

"I thought doctors were supposed to take care of their patients, not hurt them," she spat.

"If you stopped struggling for five seconds, you wouldn't be getting hurt," he replied.

"Just let go of me and let me get up there on my own."

"If I let go of you, you're going to fall. You could barely get out of the car. Did you really think you could manage two flights of stairs drunk and on crutches? I've had enough of the hospital; the last thing I need is to drag you back there."

"That doesn't mean you have to hold my elbow like you're trying to break it!"

He took a long, drawn breath and let it out slowly. She was grating on his nerves, then again, she'd been doing so all day. "If you're adamant on falling..."

Without warning, he let go of her completely. Almost immediately she leaned dangerously to the side, trying to use the railing as support. Having proved his point, he returned his grip on her arm and pulled her up the last few steps. Once at the top she took back her crutches and waved him off with a dismissive hand as she stumbled to the mat in front of the door and withdrew a spare key.

"Thanks," she said, before unlocking the door and slipping into her apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>I don't know, I just picture these two not getting along _at all_ at first, considering how much their personalities differ, though they kind of warm up to each other eventually.

Also how does one write Law? Ugh.


	5. Chapter 5: Departure

_**Chapter 5: Departure**_

When she woke the next morning, the first thing she was aware of was the massive headache and the sharp protesting in her shoulder as she tried to turn onto her side. Her phone, which was producing a constant ping, lay on the coffee table in front of her. A small huff escaped her lips and she, which much effort, pushed herself into a sitting position. She didn't need to see who it was, she already knew.

She turned her ringer down and opened a text from Robin.

_**The boys are quite worried about you. Are you home and safe?**_

Just as she had predicted the night before, they didn't bother to check their messages. She typed a quick reply and went about trying to remove each and every text they'd sent. Most of them were asking the same thing. There was on from Zoro, however, that simply stated: _**Did you take my wallet again, you witch?**_

She responded to that with a mere no.

Just as she set her phone down, another message popped up. She was ready to throw it across the room, but upon inspection, she noticed it was a number that wasn't in her contacts, nor one she recognized. She considered ignoring it, but decided against it.

_**You left your wallet in my car. **_

Nami stared at the message for a moment, her mind hazy. Thinking back on it, and too preoccupied by the constant ringing of her phone, which had thankfully come to a halt now, she had failed to notice that she didn't remember coming home. In fact, the last thing she remembered was challenging Zoro to a drinking contest, and then everything after that was a blur, almost like a dream where the feeling lingered, but she couldn't quite remember what it had been about.

_**Who is this? **_

When five minutes passed with no reply, and her headache growing increasingly worse, she shoved her phone into her pocket and made her way to the bathroom and opened the small cabinet under the sink. She took out her prescribed pain meds and poured the dosage into her palm.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

_**Too drunk last night to remember, Miss Nami? Pity, I even helped you up the stairs.**_

She could almost see that infuriating smirk on his face now. Had he not called her _Miss Nami_ she wouldn't have the slightest clue, but he'd called her that the entire time she was in the hospital, and a couple more hazy memories became clearer. She remembered he'd been at the bar last night, and if she concentrated hard enough, she could vaguely remember getting into someone's car last night.

A groan tore itself from her lips.

_**Just bring it to my place, **_she replied, her fingers hitting the screen harder than she had intended.

A moment passed.

_**Unless you're willing to wait until midnight, I can't do that. **_

No, she was not willing to wait until midnight. The contents of her fridge were running low, and she had absolutely nothing for dinner that night - and without her credit card she couldn't order out.

_**I need it now.**_

Instead of her message notification, she was greeted by the sound of her ringtone. "What," she said as soon as she hit the answer button.

"Texting is taking too long." He said simply. "Besides, my break is about to end. You have two options, Miss Nami. You can either wait until I get off work at midnight, or you can come down to the hospital and get it yourself."

"I don't have the time to come down and get it," she hissed into the receiver. "I have to be at the airport in an hour hour to see my friend off, and then my sister, and I can't drive after taking my meds. You of all people should know that. You're a damned doctor for fuck's sake."

There was a moment of silence, and then a huff. "Well I guess you'll just have to wait until I get off work."

She was about to protest but the line went dead.

"That fucking asshole," she hissed and tossed her phone onto the bathroom counter.

She checked the time on the analog on the wall in the hall. It was half past eleven. Vivi's plane would be leaving in an hour or so. Grumbling, and not in a good mood whatsoever, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and hobbled to her bedroom and examined the contents of her closet.

Wearing pants had become nothing short of a pain in the ass since her cast had been put on, but thankfully enough, Nami had plenty of dresses and long coats to make up for it. She selected a black coat, one with a fur collar, and and tossed it onto her bed before going about finding long sleeve shirt and a short skirt she could wear beneath it.

She had just slipped her shirt on when the door to her room opened and Nojiko stepped in, face flushed from the cold.

"You scared the boys half to death, this morning," she giggled. "They kept screaming, 'Where's Nami!' even though the owner tried to explain what happened."

"I got a ride home," Nami shrugged.

A knowing smile crept to her lips. "We're all aware of the fact. Once the boys had calmed down, the owner told us. I must say, Nami, that was rather daring on your part, having a man you barely know, who may or may not have been drunk, drive you home."

"Don't even look at me like that with that tone. I don't even remember who drove me home last night." A lie, but she hopped Nojiko would believe it. Unfortunately, she didn't.

"Right. That's why I heard you yelling at him when I stepped in the apartment."

Well, that was just lovely wasn't it?

Nami glared at her sister and shrugged her coat on. "Okay fine, I knew it was him, but that doesn't mean anything."

Her sister hummed as she began packing her bags. "I'm curious, why'd he call you? Did you give him your number?"

"No. He probably got it from the medical records at the hospital." She shrugged and slipped her coat on. "I left my wallet in his car apparently."

"How are you going to get it back?"

A frustrated sigh tore itself from her lips. "I can't go get it myself. I can't drive, I took my meds. As it is, someone's going to have to drive me home from the airport."

Nojiko raised a brow. "Oh? So he's going to bring it to you?"

"Well I just said I can't go get it," Nami grumbled. "But that's not important. What's important is getting to the airport before Vivi's flight leaves. It's already a thirty minute drive as it is."

Nojiko said nothing more. Nami was irritated, and she doubted her teasing was doing anything to help. Not that she really cared, she was heading home soon after Vivi's flight left and with her promotion and how busy her work was, she doubted she'd be able to come see her any time soon.

The thought made her sigh.

Their group, which had been together since the start of high school, was starting to break apart. Vivi had been the first to leave, and Nojiko had followed shortly after to attend school in another area. Sanji had mentioned the possibility of working for a cruise ship, which meant he might be leaving soon as well. There had also been a point during junior year where they'd almost lost Usopp as friend as well. And with Zoro and Tashigi's relationship moving in the direction it was, Nojiko suspected it would be long before he drifted away either.

She couldn't fight the gut wrenching feeling that eventually they'd all end up going their separate ways and their little group would be nothing more than a bunch of old friends, and maybe a handful who stayed behind - and she couldn't shake the fact that Nami seemed to be the only one who had no idea which way she was heading. Everyone else was either in a relationship, engaged in Robin and Franky's case, or chasing their own dreams while Nami's only goal at the time was to get out of college. But what after that?

The thing that worried Nojiko the most about her sister was that she never bothered to look ahead, a trait she shared with Luffy. Then again, after what had happened to her when she was younger, Nojiko couldn't blame her; Nami was the kind of person who lived in the moment, relishing in the fact that she was alive and clinging to the hope that things would work out.

A small smile spread her lips then; perhaps Luffy had rubbed off on her more than she'd thought.

As she loaded her bags into the car, she could see the contemplation on Nami's face in the rear view mirror. With everything that had happened recently, she could only imagine the amount of stress that had fallen onto her sister's shoulders. Between school, her accident, and the lawsuit she was planning, Nami had her hands full, fuller than she might be able to handle. And despite her friend's willingness to help, there was little they could do in the matter.

Nami had already made it quite clear that she wasn't going to allow them to help her pay for things, nor was she going to allow them to get involved with the case. She was trying to handle everything on her own, and that, Nojiko had always known, was one of Nami's fatal flaws; after having been forced to do things on her own at such a young age, she had developed this inability to allow people to help her.

Granted their mother's death had taken a toll on both of them, but Nami seemed to have been hit the worst by it. Unlike Nami, Nojiko had a vague idea of who her parents had been; she had blurred memories and a few fond moments tucked away in the back of her mind, but her sister didn't. Nami _never _knew her parents. And she could only imagine how it felt for her sister to be raised by someone who wasn't her real mother, nor to have a real sister.

She'd expressed it before. Her and her mother had gotten into a fight which resulted in a number of hurt feelings. _You're not my mother,_ Nami had spat at her, with all the ferocity she could muster.

It had taken a years before Nami had finally been able to accept their mother, but even so, they never truly saw eye to eye. Despite it all, when the anniversary of her mother's death came around, it was apparent that she truly did miss her.

"What's with the face, Nojiko. You look like you swallowed something sour."

Startled by Nami's voice, Nojiko forced a smile and shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about how it might be a while before I see you again. You never know, next time I come back, it might before your wedding."

Nami rolled her eyes. "I don't plan on getting married, Nojiko. Not for a while now, if ever."

And she had an independent streak.

Part of her had hopped Nami would overcome it someday, though the chances at this point seemed slim. For her to give herself to someone so wholeheartedly and unyieldingly as she would need in marriage, whoever they were had to be exceptional - and trustworthy.

"You never know." Nojiko said lightly, trying to make the situation less gloomy, at least on her end. "You may just find your prince charming or whatever you want to call him."

Nami only shrugged in response. "Maybe, maybe not."

* * *

><p>They'd arrived at the airport just before Vivi was getting ready to board her plane.<p>

"I'm gonna miss you guys," she said, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "Hopefully I can come back and visit again sometime soon."

She hugged them one by one as they all gave their goodbyes and well wishes.

"Maybe the next time I'm here, it'll be for someone's wedding." She turned her gaze to Robin and Franky, who smiled in response.

"It's a possibility," Robin hummed.

Vivi smiled at that and gave them all one last hug before turning to her gate.

"We should all get lunch," Sanji suggested. "We still have an hour before Nojiko's fight leaves."

They found a small restaurant inside the airport. It didn't look like the best, but it was the cheapest and after last night's party, none of them had the money to afford the more overly priced places. As they settled around the table after ordering their food (Nojiko paid for Nami's much to her relief), the chatter started, and before long, the conversation had moved to a topic that Nami really didn't want to bring up - how she had gotten home last night.

"Hitching rides with drunk doctors, eh?" Zoro mused, raising his brows. "That's reckless, even for you."

Nami huffed. "I wasn't sleeping in the bar! If you've forgotten, I just got out of the hospital after being _hit by a car_! My back's still screwed up!"

"How'd you convince him?" Robin asked after she swallowed bit of her sandwich.

Much to Nami's distress, Zoro couldn't help but cut in. "Probably a lap da-"

Crutches to the shin, as he had discovered, hurt much worse than ones to the head. Swearing like a sailor, he pulled his leg back and glared at her, only to find her smiling at him in mock apology. "Sorry Zoro. But no, I didn't convince him, I didn't even ask. The owner asked him to."

"So he just willingly drove you home?" Nojiko smiled at her.

"The owner cut his tab in half." Nami waved her hand dismissively. "Who cares, though. I got home safely, and I'm here now, so instead of focusing on _menial_ things, focus on something more important. Like the fact that Nojiko is leaving in thirty minutes?"

There was an edge to her voice, one that clearly stated that the next comment on the matter would earn them a large helping of fries and a side of soda, if not a good whack with the crutches.

The next thirty minutes had passed rather quickly, and when the call came for Nojiko to go to the gate, she looked almost surprised. "It's time to go already?"

"Guess so," Usopp sighed.

* * *

><p>Her house was empty for the first time in two weeks, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. She half expected to see one of her friends lounging on her couch or rifling through her fridge, but when she stepped into her living room, it was empty and silent. Chopper had deemed it okay for her to be herself now, so as soon as they left the airport, the others had gone home. She didn't doubt they were still suffering from the effects of last night's party, even she still had a lingering headache, but now, it was slowly starting to ebb away.<p>

With a bottle of soda and a bowl full of popcorn, Nami reclined on her couch in nothing but a sweatshirt, glad that she was finally free to roam her house as under dressed as she'd like. Remote in hand, she flipped through the channels on her TV, looking for something interesting. When it became clear that there wasn't, she went back to the channel where all the Christmas specials were shown.

She didn't really care much for them, especially since most of them had become rather stupid over the years, but it was better than whatever lame movies or shows that were playing on the other channels. Besides, she was tired, and chances were she'd be asleep before long.

She'd made it through two and a half stupid movies before she heard something shuffling outside her door, and a heavy knock following. She knit her brows and glanced at the clock. It was fifteen past midnight.

"I swear to God," she hissed as she unlocked the door and pulled it open, "Luffy if you're here just for good then go ho-"

"You must have the memory of a rodent."

Law stood on the other side of the threshold, holding her wallet in a gloved hand. The cotton candy pink accessory looked ridiculous and of of place against his dark ensemble, and if she weren't so embarrassed by the fact that she had forgotten, or the fact that she had practically answered the door in her underwear, she would have laughed.

"I haven't exactly been living stress free these past few days," she seethed. "You could have at least called to tell me you were on your way!"

"I figured you would have had the decency not to answer the door in nothing but your underwear and a sweatshirt, but it seems I might have given you too much credit, Miss Nami."

She huffed, embarrassed by the comment. "Well I didn't. I give me my wallet and you can leave now."

"Actually, I think you have something of mine. A fifty, perhaps? One that came out of my wallet last night?"

_Shit, he noticed? I thought he was too drunk to know!_

"Maybe I do, but since it's in my hands now, you're not getting it back." She said breezily, making a grab for her wallet, which he pulled just out of her reach.

He flashed her an amused grin and waved the wallet in front of her. "Then I guess you won't be needing this back?"

"Give me it back!" She hissed, trying to make another grab for it. This time, he held it over his head. "I'll return it to you once I get my money."

"It's _my_ money now." She made an attempt to jump for it, but fell short a couple inches. When she landed, she felt her left knee buckle. She probably shouldn't have done that.

"Then I guess this is _my _wallet now, then."

If there was one thing Nami did not like to do, it was give back money. _Never_ had she returned money to anyone, but now, given the circumstances, it seemed like she had no choice. Growling, she turned on her heels and hobbled into the apartment. "Get in here and close the damned door. You're letting all the heat out."

He lifted a brow in annoyance. "Don't tell me what to do."

Still, he complied. Her apartment was warm, and it sure as hell beat standing in the cold air. Curiously, he glanced around the place she made her home. It looked decent despite the building's outside, but much smaller than he had suspected. His eyes drifted to a small frame sitting on one of the end tables. He leaned closer to look, though before he could fully inspect the picture, Nami came out of her room, her face twisted in a scowl, and he was certain if it had not been for the cast on her right leg, she'd be stomping as well.

She all but threw the bill in his face, and he realized that if she had been an inch closer, she would have hit him in the process.

"There," she spat as she snatched her wallet from him. "Now leave."

"You're not changing your bandages," he mused, glancing down at the frayed gauze on her left leg.

He was right of course. She'd been so stressed the past couple of days that she'd completely forgotten. "Stop staring at me, you pervert."

"If you're insinuating that I'm looking because you're think I think you're attractive, then you're wrong, Miss Nami. I just happened to notice you're not taking care of your wounds is all."

_That infuriating arrogant bastard! _

"Just leave," she ground out, pulling her sweatshirt down as far as it would go, which much to her dismay, was not too far.

She glared at his retreating back, gnawing at her lower lip in agitation. _It's a miracle I haven't punched you yet..._

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>To be honest, as I was writing this, I had the idea of making Vivi's plane crash, but I decided against it.

Also judging from the fact that he seemed to have no interest in Boa's appearance in canon (which seems to be a rarity as just about everyone finds her attractive) I kind of feel like Law doesn't pay much attention to physical aspects (at least not a first), and more to one's personality, but that's just how I see it.


	6. Chapter 6: Worst Possible Scenario

**Note: **I got stuck...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 6: Worst Possible Scenario <strong>_

If there was one thing he hated most, it was the pushy and annoying families of his patients.

Especially the ones who threw massive fits when they don't get their way. Such as the most recent case. A woman, the aunt of a young girl who had been emitted due to respiratory issues, didn't seem to like fact that her daughter had a tube in her throat. She'd asked the nurse to remove it, but the nurse had refused. Needless to say, the situation escalated to the point where he himself had come into the room and drag her out before she could attempt to pull the tube out a second time.

He hadn't escaped unscathed either. One of her impractically long nails had caught his cheek, scratching the flesh deep enough to draw blood. And once he had gotten her out the door, she turned around and punched him square in the jaw. By the time she had tried to swing again, the security guards arrived and dragged her outside, but the damage had already been done.

Things like that were common, but it didn't make them any less right.

Seething as he bit into his lunch, he couldn't help but think of someone; someone who the woman's fiery personality reminded him of.

The thought made him roll his eyes. She was pretty, yes, he wouldn't deny that, even if he didn't really respond to physical appearances, but her fiery and seemingly untamable personality grated on his nerves. She was boisterous, brazen, and violent in the most obnoxious ways. Having seen the way she acted at the bar, as well as the night before, he seriously wondered how her friends put up with her; but then again, when he looked back on it, they were essentially the same way, save for one or two of them.

And she was a thief, on top of it all, but he'd beaten her at her own game, an occurrence she had not been thrilled with. He couldn't help but smile a bit at that. Judging by her reaction, it wasn't often that people managed such a feat.

She was easy to read as well. It didn't take much effort for him to find the spots that set her temper ablaze, and needless to say, he found it quite amusing when she did blow up - annoying but amusing.

"So who's wallet was that in your car yesterday?" Shachi questioned, nudging him slightly.

Law knew exactly what the other man was implying.

"Drove someone home from the bar." There was an edge to his voice, one that clearly stated the matter wasn't going to be pushed further.

"Damn," Shachi sounded dejected. "I thought you'd gone and found yourself a girlfriend, for once."

He ignored the comment. Shachi himself had no room to talk.

Law sighed and propped his elbows on the table, letting his chin rest on his hands. After the incident that had just occurred, all he wanted to do was go home and drink his irritation away, or at least attempt to. The encounter marked the third one that week, and though he hated even the _thought_ of it, there was a point where, for a split second, he'd take Nami's friends over the shit he's been dealing with. They'd never attempted to punch him, after all; all they did was whine.

"I'm thinking about stopping by Rayleigh's tonight." It was Penguin who'd spoken this time. Much like the other two, he was leaning on his hand, chewing slowly. "This week's been shit."

That was something they could all agree on. Even for Penguin and Shachi, who were still only interns, they'd had their fair share of difficult patients. There had been a point where Penguin was trying to give a shot, but the child had taken notice after his mother had distracted him, and in the middle of his desperate attempt to get out of the chair, he'd hit Penguin's hand, the needle sinking into the flesh between his middle and ring finger.

"Welcome to the life of a doctor," Law drawled. "Just be thankful none of you have had to call someone to tell them their child died; it's not fun."

Shachi pressed his lips into a line and hummed. He was really hoping that day didn't come any time soon.

* * *

><p>Four and a half hours later, Nami finally stepped into the wide courtyard of the college, thankful for the fresh air. Her exam was over and done with, and she could honestly say she could <em>feel<em> the stress being lifted off her shoulders as she handed it to the professor.

For the first time in days, she genuinely smiled.

As she made her way to her car, she pulled her phone from her bag and sent a quick text to Chopper, letting her know that she hadn't taken her meds that morning, so there was no need for him to worry about her being behind the wheel; she'd meant to do it before she left, but it had slipped her mind in her haste to get out the door. She'd barely remembered to tell him she didn't need a ride as it was.

Now she had other matters to attend to. The first thing on the agenda was contacting the lawyer Vivi recommended, and the other was about seeing what primary care doctor her insurance could offer her. Both were going to be a hassle, but they needed to be done, and as soon as possible. It was bad enough that she had to go to the hospital again in a couple days to have a check up, and frankly, now that she was fully aware and functioning, she doubted she'd be able to deal with the infuriating doctor without trying to shove a crutch into his kneecap.

If only Chopper could take care of it.

But he couldn't, and she'd just have to deal with that.

Her phone rang, suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts as she exited the campus and turned onto the main road. Without hesitation, or a glance at the screen, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Nami!"

She sighed. "Luffy, don't yell, my volume's all the way up."

"Well, I don't know if anyone told you, but we're having a surprise party at the bar for Chopper tonight!"

His excitement could be felt in his words, and for a moment, she vaguely thought of a child, which incidentally, was what he acted like at times. "You didn't tell _Chopper_ that did you?"

"I'm not stupid," he replied as if it were common knowledge.

_You aren't exactly Einstein either, _she thought and rolled her eyes.

"Why didn't I hear about this sooner?"

"Because I just thought of it!"

She was not the least bit surprised by his answer. A grumble tore itself from her lips; he never really did think things through, did he?

"And how do you plan on getting Chopper to come without telling him what's going on?"

He laughed then, and she could almost see the smile on his face. "I was going to ask you to handle that!"

If she hadn't been driving, she would have slammed her head against the steering wheel in exasperation. Of course he'd ask her to do it; they _always_ asked her when it came to trying to get people to show up for whatever reason. Granted she was very good at it, but that didn't mean she had to be the _only_ one.

"Fine!" She sighed after a long moment. "I'll see what I can do."

"You're the best!" Luffy said gleefully. "Rayleigh's at seven!"

The line went dead.

She tossed her phone into the passenger's seat and huffed.

_So much for a night of relaxing at home. _

* * *

><p>Nami did not want to go.<p>

Her head was killing her despite having taken her pain meds, and until she'd gotten home, she hadn't realized just how exhausted she'd been that morning. She felt bad, it was Chopper's birthday party and all, but she just wasn't feeling up sitting in the rowdy bar. Unfortunately for her, her friends weren't giving into her insistence in the matter.

Luffy had texted her several times, claiming Chopper was a bit miffed that she'd missed, Robin's text had only made her desire to stay home stronger, and Sanji kept going on about how she was too beautiful to stay home, or something along those lines. She wasn't really paying attention.

She contemplated turning off her phone, if only to stop it from blowing up with every text they sent, but she knew that if texting wasn't working, one of them would inevitably call. And once they called, they'd know her phone was off, and it wouldn't be long before one of them attempted her house phone - which she could not shut off much to her dismay.

After another fifteen minutes of constant buzzing, Nami finally sent a less than kind mass text saying she'd be there in thirty minutes or so; if there was thing her freinds could count as their specialty, it was their ability to annoy anyone into doing what they wanted them to do.

For once, she paid little attention to her outfit and dressed as quickly as possible.

By the time she had reached the bar's parking lot, she was ready to beat all of them senseless. Even Robin, who very rarely got on her nevers, was pushing her a bit too far tonight. If she had taken a moment to stop and think, she would have considered a single question; why was so so annoyed? Granted, she didn't like it when her phone rang constantly, but she'd never gotten so irate over it before.

When she shouldered the door to the bar open, the noise seemed to hit her all at once, but that wasn't what had caught her off guard. They weren't at their usual booth. Her bows knit as she picked out two new faces, ones she'd never seen before in the bar, and another face that almost had her turning on her heels. As she stood in the middle of the door way, unsure whether to join them or bolt before one of them saw her, she thought back to Robin's earlier text.

Are you certain you don't want to come? It seems as if Luffy's made a couple new freinds.

"Oi! Nami!"

There was no chance of escape now.

She didn't bother trying to push a smile onto her face; she had ever intention of letting Luffy see just how irritated she was at his constant nagging. And if the look wasn't enough, the soling punch to the top of the head got the message through.

"I only came so you'd leave me the hell alone!" She hissed.

Chopper cast her an appologetic smile from his spot on the other side of the booth. "Sorry, Nami. I tried to tell them not to worry about it, but they wouldn't listen."

"Don't worry about it. I'm here now."

"NAMI-SWAAN!"

She resisted the urge to punch him. Her voice was strained with false kindness as she asked him for a favor. "Sanji-kun, can you get me a glass of scotch?"

"Of course!" He all but pranced behind the bar, eager to get her just what she'd requested.

With a roll of her eyes, she plopped down on the little open space at the very edge of the booth, her gaze circiling their faces before stopping on his. "And what are you doing here?"

He flashed her a cocky smirk, one that made her blood boil, and tilted his head thoughtfully. "You're friends were rather adamant on thanking me for saving your life. I wonder where your gratitude went, Miss Nami."

She sneered at him. "Down the drain when I realized how much of an insufferable asshole you are."

The table had fallen silent at that, curiously watching the two's now silent standoff. It continued for a few moments longer before Sanji came back and placed the drink on the table in front of Nami. She turned to him, and smiled. "Thank you, Sanji-kun!"

"Anything for my Nami-swan."

Before another argument could break out, Luffy pushed himself up and leaned over Zoro. "Sanji! Cake!"

"Calm down! It's still baking!"

"Then bring me some meat!"

The blond could only sigh before retreating to the kitchen.

Conversation picked up around the table, and much to Nami's surprise, it was civil for the most part. There were a couple times when Luffy asked something completely ridiculous, but that was to be expected. It wasn't until Zoro was feeling ballsy enough to challenge Nami to another drink off that things got a bit out of hand.

At first, it wasn't just him and Nami. All of them, aside from Robin and Usopp had agreed to joining in. Law had attempted to decline, but Luffy wouldn't hear it.

"Consider it a hazing ritual," Robin said, chuckling at the look on his face. It was obvious he was not pleased with being forced into this, muchless dealing with the groups antics as a whole.

"If you can out drink her," Zoro said, leaning over the table and pointing to Nami, "you get automatic respect."

"Is it really that hard?" Shachi, who had been sitting next to Law, spoke up, giving her a confused glance.

Nami cast him a smile that almost dared him to find out himself.

And unfortunately for him, he did find out that it really was as hard as they made it seem. He was already swaying in his seat, unable to keep his head steady longer than a few seconds before he started leaning to the side again. He'd drank so much that the smell of the alcohol was beginning to make him sick to his stomach. Nobody really paid him much mind as he slipped out of the booth and darted towards the bathroom in the back; they were all too preoccupied with the three way fight going down.

Most of the others had dropped out before reaching Shachi's state, but there were two left aside from Nami, who were sticking it out. Zoro had been no surprise; it was a common occurrence to see him and Nami going at it, but what had really caught them off guard was how well Law was keeping up.

He was by no means sober, that much was certain from the glazed look in his eyes, but he wasn't as far gone as Zoro, who was beginning to reach his limit, and if he was, he was damn good at hiding it. Even Nami was starting to show the effects of the little battle. Her cheeks were flushed, her words slurred, and her movements clumsy. Despite it all, there was a bright smile etched onto her face, and she was seemingly enjoying herself now.

It took another fifteen minutes before Zoro finally dropped. His head hit the table and the mug fell from his hand, and a fit of laughter rolled right over his consciousness as Luffy patted his back a bit roughly. "You can't beat her, huh?"

Rayleigh had joined in the fray now, curious to see if there was someone who could best Nami. He was leaning over the booth from the seat behind, watching as they both finished one more drink, but it was easy to tell both of them were barely hanging on.

It wasn't until the second drink that one of them cracked.

She couldn't do it. She should have stopped after the last drink, but her stubbornness, and her pride had been on the line; she failed to notice that her stomach was starting to protest. Halfway through her last drink, it hit her all at once and she barely had time to lean away from them before she emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor.

Silence.

There were brows raised and mouths agape, and even Rayleigh couldn't hide his surprise this time. For the first time in years, Nami had been beaten in a drinking match, but only barely, for Law could no longer keep himself steady. He dropped the glass on the table and leaned forward, cupping his head with his hands. He really had pushed himself farther than he was used to; if he had been thinking properly, he would have dropped out before Zoro had, but he wasn't and while he was regretting it now, he knew that come morning, having the rights to hold it over her head that he'd beaten her was enough to make it worth it.

Luffy burst out in a fit of laughter then and reached over to clap Law on the back. "You're a pretty cool guy, Trafalguy!"

He glared at the offending hand. "It's Trafalgar."

"Tra- Trafag- Trafalguy."

Law knew better than to try and correct him; there were just some forms of stupidity that could never be fixed.

Nami shifted, slipping off the booth and staggering to the bathroom. She nearly ran into Sachi, who was surprised to see her looking as shitfaced as she was. Her stomach felt a little better now that she'd vomited most of that had settled in it, but that didn't change the fact that she was drunker than hell and the world seemed to be spinning no matter how hard she tried to steady herself. With fumbling hands, she retrieved a small paper cup from the stack beside the sink and rinsed the taste of bile from her mouth.

She glanced up at her reflection. Her hair was in disarray, her bun having fallen loose. She'd discarded her jacket in the middle of the match, claiming that she'd gotten too hot continue wearing it. The strap of her tank top was slipping off her shoulder, along with her bra strap, but she was too lazy to pull it back up. At this point, her appearance meant nothing to her; she was more concerned with getting the thick and disgusting taste out of her mouth.

Spitting another mouthful of water into the sink, she tossed the cup into the small waste bin and once again staggered into the bar. The mess she'd made earlier had been cleaned away, and Shachi had rejoined the group, though he had claimed the seat she'd originally been occupying. With much reluctance, she slid into the seat beside Law, and dropped her head onto the table.

"I can't believe someone actually beat Nami," Usopp said, the disbelief evident in his voice. He downed a glass of water and shook his head.

She didn't respond. Her eyelids felt heavy, and it seemed as if keeping herself conscious took more effort than her body was willing to put out. It wasn't long before she found her way to sleep's embrace.

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong> Yeah, I swear next chapter won't suck as much.

But I think I'm getting sick again, so there's a possibility it may take a bit for the next chapter's up.


	7. Chapter 7: Wrong Position

**Note: **This got angsty fast and it wasn't even intended but yolo.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7: Wrong Position<strong>_

She was uncomfortable.

He only spoke when he needed to, asking simple questions that pertained to the area he was examining. Her answers were just as blunt. Their eyes never met once during the check up, and for that, she was thankful. It had been two days since Chopper's party, namely the morning after, and she would rather not dwell on what had happened.

Unfortunately, Law had chosen that moment to bring it up. "If I get one more text from one of your friends, I swear I'm going to throw their phones into a garbage disposal."

It seemed that, for once, they could agree on something.

"Oh, they printed it out and slipped it under my door yesterday," Nami grumbled, "meaning one of them has it on their computer now."

A small gasp escaped her lips as he hit struck the Patellar ligament in her right leg with the small reflex hammer. Her leg jerked forward in response, and the tip of her boot brushed against the leg of his pants, though she missed the leg itself.

"Do they do this to everyone?" Law inquired as he scribbled something on the clipboard laying on the table beside the bed.

She nodded, her coppery tresses swaying with the movement. "They still tease Robin and Franky, when they can, and those two have been dating since senior year."

Another silence settled over them as he undid the bandages on her arm, inspecting each and every cut or hint of road rash. There were some places that were still tender with bruising, and there were others where she'd completely healed.

"Is there any particular way to get a certain one of your friends to stop sending me death threats?"

Nami pursed her lips. It wasn't easy getting Sanji to back off, even if she asked him herself . A moment later, she turned to him, her gaze locking with his, and in the most serious tone she could muster she said, "Tell him you're gay."

He stared at blankly her, but she could tell he was trying to discern whether she was joking or not. Then his expression changed, and she couldn't tell whether he was disturbed or flat out irate about the suggestion. If she had been joking, she would have burst out into a fit of laughter by now, but she wasn't.

"Any _other_ ways?" came the tight reply.

She shook her head.

The morning following Chopper's party had been a hectic one. Everyone else had woken up before she had, and when she did wake up, the first thing she'd seen was Robin smirking at her in a way that made her utterly uncomfortable. When she checked her phone a few moments later, there were several messages from her friends, all of which including a picture that had been taken before she'd woken up; a picture of her curled up against Law with her head resting on his chest and an arm draped over his lap. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, she noticed that his head had fallen to the side, resting on hers, and there was an arm draped over her shoulder, the bottle he'd been drinking just before he passed out hanging loosely from his fingers.

It was Sanji's yelling that had woken _him_ up. He'd been just as confused as she had been, and when the haze of waking up had lifted from both of them, they made a desperate attempt to scramble apart, and Law had to duck to avoid the slap she'd aimed at him. Between Sanji's constant death threats, Nami screeching for the pictures to be deleted that instant, and the rest of her friends laughing unashamedly, it had been enough to make her headache a migraine.

"Just be thankful that's _all_ that's happened." Nami sighed.

There had been a time where she'd gotten so drunk during one of her attempt to 'collect' money, that she'd instead found herself perched on the lap of a man she didn't even know. She had gotten the wallet, which had been her initial goal, but she'd also gotten a month's worth of harassment from her sister - and she was certain someone had the video somewhere.

"You should be able to walk on your right leg in another week or so."

She was relieved to hear that, but a thought struck her then. "I thought you were a surgeon."

"Given the short staffing, I do both." He shrugged. "They really only call me down for severe cases, such as yours."

Then his expression changed for a moment, as if he were deciding whether he should say something else or not. He must have decided it wouldn't hurt because he continued. "I'm not sure if you are aware of this or not, but you actually, technically, did die for a few moments."

His words sent a chilling shiver down her spine. Her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes widening at the revelation. She _died?_

Taking in her reaction, he chose his words carefully. "Your heart stopped just before they'd taken you of the of the ambulance. Normally at that point, especially with the condition you were in, it's difficult to start it again. Fortunately enough, I managed to get it started before there was enough time for there to be any sort of damage. Needless to say that if they had been even a few moments later, you might not have recovered."

For the purpose of not dwelling on the matter, she had tried to shut out any sort of elaborate thought on the incident by simply claiming she was lucky, but with what he had just told her, she wondered if there was really any sort of _luck_ in her case. If anything, it had been nothing more than the paramedics being fast enough to get her to him before anything serious could happen.

No. Despite what anyone had told her about luck or a blessing, she knew that wasn't it at all. It was people who had been trained and had done their jobs correctly.

"And I can guarantee you that if any other doctor had been on the floor that night, you wouldn't have made it."

If she hadn't been so stunned by the how close to dying she really had come, she would have chided him for being arrogant. But in that situation, it wasn't arrogance that he was spouting; it was the cold hard truth. The nurse had even said it herself.

"Did you tell _them_ this?"

Oh god, if they knew, she'd never be allowed to walk down the street by herself again.

Law shook his head. "I decided it would be better if I didn't. They were frantic enough as it was."

She wasn't sure what to feel at that point - immense gratitude or crippling fear.

The thoughts that came rushing to her in that moment were enough to cause her to tear up. She could have easily been taken away from them. She could have easily died without them knowing until days in advance. They hadn't been there when it happened, and from what Nojiko said, they didn't even know until a few days later when her phone had been reconnected and she'd gotten the call from the hospital - she could have been dead for _days_ and they wouldn't have known.

Another thought struck her then, one that made her stomach churn. Her mother had given up her life so that she and her sister could live; had she died then, that sacrifice would have been in nothing but vain.

She was shaking now, her hands crumpling in the sheet on the examination table, and it was all she could do not to break down right then and there.

Nami didn't cry.

She hadn't cried once since her mother's death, and once when she'd gotten in with the wrong people and it was Luffy who'd saved her. Not even on the anniversary of her mother's death did she cry. Now, the tears were rolling down her face, unstoppable as they dripped off her chin and onto the exposed skin of her thighs. She hiccuped, her body jerking with the movement.

Part of her wished he hadn't told her anything, and another part was grateful that he did.

It made her aware of one thing; just how insignificant yet important she was. In the grand scheme of things, the world would have moved on without her. The sun would rise and fall as it always had, and people would continue on with their lives even after hers ended, but she also knew the pain that accompanied loss and never in a million years would she want that numbing pain to inflict the hearts of those closest to her.

It was a disgusting thing really, one she knew all too well. It clung like a leech, sucking the life from it's victim. Just like a ghost, it always lingered, staying hidden and out of sight until the moment came to reveal itself. And, God, when it did, it came like a hurricane, knocking her off her feet and she couldn't stand back up again until the storm resided.

It was a wound that left behind no trace - one that cut deeper than any gash or cut, past skin, sinew, and bone; bloodless but just as deadly. And she would give _anything_ to keep them from experiencing the same as she had been since she was only just a child.

Her life wasn't a guarantee, it was a privilege, especially with the things she'd been through since her birth, and as shocking as the incident was, it opened her eyes to just how fragile humans truly were; and just how easily that _privilege_ could be taken from them.

It took her a few moments to calm herself. When she dared a glance at Law, he was sitting in his chair, eyes trained on the clipboard in his hands, seemingly oblivious to her sudden break down. A pang of embarrassment struck her then as she remembered just where she was, though she was thankful he didn't try to say anything to her during it; she might have snapped.

"As soon as you've composed yourself," he said after glancing from the charts, his voice just a touch softer than his usual tone, "you're free to go."

She almost laughed. "I take it people break down in your office all the time?"

He sighed. "If you listen closely when you leave, you might find the answer."

She grimaced. There was a point during her stay where the nurse had left her door open and she could hear someone a few rooms down. They'd been hysterical, no doubt unpleased when they'd heard the news that they weren't going to live longer than a week (she only knew that because she could hear the nurses discussing it in the hall), but it had been frightening to her. She could feel the same fear in her own body at that moment, though it had the opposite effect on her; she had instead frozen up. She hadn't been fully awake then, most likely still out of it due to the medication, and it had almost seemed like a dream, but when she woke that morning, she knew it wasn't a dream. The woman was still crying. It was an ominous sound, one that reminded her of the wailing one would hear in a horror movie. It had sent a chill down her spine.

Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she grabbed her bag from it's place beside the exam table and slipped it onto her shoulder. She stopped in the doorway, just before leaving, and turned to him. "Thank you."

Without another word, she left.

He watched her disappear behind the door.

Her reaction was warranted, but to say he was expecting it would have been a lie. He'd seen enough breakdowns in his life to know that there was something more than just that fact that she was 'glad to be alive'; the look in her eyes before she'd hid her face behind her hair was enough to tell him that. Something else had triggered it, and it was likely something unpleasant.

The thought brought up unpleasant memories of his own, ones that he was always forcing down and out of sight so he could move on with his life.

An irate sigh tore itself from his lips and he set the clipboard down rather roughly before exiting the room himself to find something to calm him down before he had to start his rounds again.

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><p>She didn't go straight home.<p>

Instead, she went to the small cafe down the street from her apartment. There was no real reason for her to be there, and she wasn't particularly hungry, but she felt content there. She was still a bit shaken by the revelation, though she pushed it aside; the more she dwelled on the matter the more it would bother her.

Her phone rang then, and upon checking the caller I.D., she almost didn't answer, but she thought better of it. Given the circumstances and her recent accident, she knew that if she rejected her sister's call, it would bring about unneeded worry.

"Nojiko?" She answered, trying to sound as normal as possible. "What's up?"

"I saw the most interesting picture this morning."

Nami groaned. She was going to kill them, all of them, in the slowest most painful way she could. "Who didn't they send that stupid picture too?!"

On the other end, Nojiko simply laughed. "Cozying up to the doctor already, Nami? Are you moving a bit fast here?"

If looks could kill, the one she was sending would have beheaded her. "I was drunk! You know how I get when I'm drunk!"

Nojiko snickered. "He seemed to be enjoying it, what with his arm around you and all."

"If I could punch you right now..."

She only laughed harder at that. "Oh calm down, Nami. You know I'm teasing. But honestly, you can't deny he's at least a bit attractive...once you look past the fact that he has the word death tattooed on his hands."

As much as she'd like to deny it, she _did_ find him somewhat attractive, but that's as far as it went. His personality was infuriating on the best of days, and she hated the arrogant type like him; one of these days she was going to knock that stupid smirk off his face.

"Any news about the lawsuit?"

Nami sighed. Thank God she changed the subject.

"I'm calling the lawyer tomorrow morning since he was out of office today. I just really hope I can get this case resolved quickly and move on with my life."

"Speaking of moving on with your life, do you have any idea what you plan to do after you graduate?"

She was quiet for a moment. In the past, she'd considered a few ideas, though she had yet to set her mind on certain one. "Maybe work for the news station for a while? You know as a meteorologist and then something else if the opportunity arrives? I'm not entirely sure."

Her sister sighed. "Nami, you're already twenty two. You need to start getting things together."

"I know! I know! I'm working on it." She really was, but there were things that needed more attention at the moment. "There's just a lot of things I need to do right now! I don't have time to be thinking about that now!"

"I know you have a lot on your plate," Nojiko said gently, "but you really do need to start thinking about it. You can't just go through life not knowing what you want to do. You'll wind up like Luffy."

"Ace and Sabo will get him on track eventually." Nami waved her hand dismissively.

"What do you think I'm trying to get you to do?"

Nami groaned. "I know. I'll start looking into options. Happy?"

"Yes. Call me when you get any more information on the lawsuit. I have to get back to work. My break's over."

"Alright. Don't work yourself too hard." Nami sighed. "I'll call you, bye."

"Bye."

She let her head fall onto the table then. _Who knew being an adult was this difficult?_

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><p><strong>Note: <strong>Yeah, it's shorter than the rest, but I'm starting to run out of ideas so...yeah.


	8. Chapter 8: Thin Ice

**Note: **I was going to put this chapter in later, but as I said, I'm running out of ideas. And there hasn't been enough shippy moments in this story, oops.

But really, your reviews are making me all fuzzy asdhkasd (don't stop)

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 8: Thin Ice<strong>_

Normally they would have thrown a Christmas party, but things had come up, and this year, the holiday flew passed with no celebration, and Nami wasn't sure to be relieved to disapointed by the fact. Christmas had always been her favorite holiday to celebrate with her friends, even if there were times when the gift exchange grew to be more of a joke than anything else (she didn't even want to think about the year with the _hand massager _incident). Still, that didn't stop her sister or Vivi from sending everyone one.

In fact, she was wearing Vivi's present now. It was a designer coat, one she'd pointed out in a magazine a few weeks prior as a joke, but she'd bought it for her anyway, much to Nami's elation.

Due to the fact that they'd missed their annual Christmas celebration, Robin had suggested going ice skating that weekend. It had been a couple years since they'd last gone. That in itself wasn't bad, Nami had never really been good at ice skating to begin with, but as she sat on the bench, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands and her skates cast to the side, she was questioning one thing.

Why did they have to invite them?

She had nothing against his friends, in fact, the couple times she'd met Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo she had found them to be rather entertaining, even if they were a bit too much like Sanji in regards to women, or at least Shachi and Penguin were. Bepo didn't seem to share the same reactions as they did.

Like her, Law was sitting on a bench a little ways away from her, and for a moment she almost pitied him. For whatever reason, Luffy had taken a liking to him, and was ultimately responsible for him being there. And judging by the look on his face, there was no other reason than trying to get Luffy to leave him alone. He'd learn soon enough, however, that there was probably no way he was going to get him to back off.

He turned to her then, his eyes narrowing into a glare, before he finally stood up and made his way towards her. "This is your fault," he muttered as he dropped into the bench next to her.

"How so?"

"They're your friends."

She glared at him. "That's hardly a reason to blame me. If anything, you were the one who agreed to come, so it's your fault."

A silence settled between them. Nami turned her attention to the rink in front of them, watching as her friends enjoyed themselves; Robin and Franky were skating hand in hand, much to her surprise, neither one of them were very public about their feelings towards each other, and the boys had opted for a race, which was already ending in a catastrophe. Usopp, Chopper and Brooke had already fallen; they were sliding across the ice unable to stop themselves, and it wasn't long before they unceremoniously crashed into into the sides. Shachi and Penguin ended up tripping over them, and finally Bepo added himself to the pile.

She couldn't help the giggle that slipped past her lips. At least everyone seemed to be getting along, for the most part. Once glance at the three left standing had her laughing a bit more. Zoro and Sanji had turned the race into an all out battle, with Luffy sliding along in the back, pointing and laughing as they attempted to knock each other over. Inevitably, they ended up in the same mess as the others, Luffy still laughing as he slid by, only to trip over his own feet and hit the ground with a heavy thud.

"They're all idiots..." Law grumbled, his expression of mixture of confusion and uncertainty.

Nami only laughed again. "They may be, but you learn to love them."

A few moments later, Robin skated to the side and leaned against it, smiling. "You two seem to be getting along for once."

Law chose to ignore the comment while Nami scowled.

The dark haired woman chuckled them and glanced at her feet. "Come on, Nami. You have to go out there at least once. You paid money, it'd be a waste if you didn't."

"You know I can't skate very wel-"

She was cut off when a snowball hit her in the side of the head.

"Aw, Nami! You had to get in the way, I was aiming for Trafalguy!"

She turned to him then, her eyes set in a determined scowl as she scooped up a handful of snow from ground at her feet and threw it as hard as she could. He ducked at the last second, and the snowball hit Zoro square in the face. Nami barely had time to move out of the way before another snowball came flying at her, this one missing and hitting Robin who simply laughed.

When she glanced at Luffy again, there was a look in his eyes that was almost devious. At first she thought he was looking at her, but when the numbing cold pressed against her neck, she quickly realized overwise. A shrill shriek escaped her lips and her shoulders bunched as she leapt forward off the bench, trying to shake the snow out of her jacket.

Out of sheer retaliation, she scooped up a handful of snow, not bothering to pack it, and tossed it in Law's face. She didn't have time to react when a second one hit her in the back of the head.

"That's payback, you damn witch," Zoro shouted at her, another one bouncing in his hand.

"Three against one is not fair at all!" She hissed, ducking as another one came her way. It hit Law in the side of the head, and Luffy could only laugh when he returned the gesture, hitting him in the cheek with one.

It had become a sort of a war between the four of them, though Nami mostly ducked and attacked when one of them was too preoccupied with someone else. Despite the fact that she'd been annoyed in the beginning, she was laughing again, this time loud and boisterous, and it was so much like her usual self that Robin couldn't help but smile. It'd been some time since they'd seen her like that.

Zoro threw one, then, perhaps a bit _too _hard, catching Nami in the chest. She stumbled backwards, her feet tripping over themselves. She crashed into Law, who had not been expecting the sudden collision, and effectively knocked the both of them over. Before either one of them had time to react, a large amount of snow came crashing down on them, muffling the all too amused sounds of Luffy laughing from somewhere above them.

Nami sad up instantly, her face twisted with fury as her gaze locked on the man in the tree above her. His smile faded then, and a look of terror crossed his face as he jumped down and darted off. She was right at his heels, cursing and throwing whatever she could grab.

"She certainly is a fiery one," Robin mused, watching as she dragged Zoro into the onslaught as well. "You can't even tell she nearly died."

"Oi, don't say such dark things with a smile," Usopp chided.

Nami had only told Robin about the revelation, but as she suspected, the others already had an idea of just how close things had come.

"You'll have your hands full with her," the woman continued, her smile only broadening when Law glared at her.

"What are you implying, Nico-ya?"

Robin hummed. "I wonder."

Law's eyes narrowed. He knew what she was implying, but he had learned rather quickly that with a woman like her, there was no point in arguing. She was extremely observant, and she'd likely noticed something, or _thought_ that she had noticed something. He was not going to get into _speculations _with her.

A few moments later, Nami returned, and plopped down on the bench again, panting as she pushed her bangs out of her face. She was smiling still, and she adjusted her knit cap before reaching for her drink, which, much to her dismay, had been spilt after the spontaneous snowball fight. She pouted a bit and sighed. There was nothing she could do about it.

"As I was saying," Robin cut in, and held up the air of skates Nami had rented, "it would be a waste if you didn't use them at least once, no? Purchase Trafalgar-san could help you?"

"I don't skate."

"It's not a matter of whether you do or not, but whether you can or not. Nami can't stand on her own in them and as much as I trust the others, I wouldn't exactly say they're the best teachers."

He was fighting a losing battle. While she had a point, he couldn't see why _she_ couldn't do it, but he found his answer a few moments later when Franky circled around once more and she returned to his side. He grumbled; and he thought Nami was manipulative. Glancing to the redhead, he found that even she had relented; she was pulling her skates on, though looking a little uncomfortable.

Rolling his eyes, he laced his own up and stood.

She was reluctant to accept the help he offered, and was equally more reluctant to grab his hand, as much was made clear when her fingers wrapped around his forearm as she pulled herself up. "If you let me fall, there will be hell to pay."

He smirked at her. It was a devilish thing, one that had her gaze hardening, and he was tempted to do it just to see just what she'd do to him. Then again, that moment might not have been the best time to try; if she so much as looked like she was hurt, he didn't doubt her friends would come to the rescue.

"The more you threaten me, Nami-ya, all the more tempted it makes me." He mused, ignoring the irate look she was casting him.

She was fine until they stepped onto the ice. As soon as her foot slid even the slightest bit, her grip tightened on his arm. The action didn't go unnoticed, but her hesitance didn't seem to stop her either. It took her a few minutes, but once she finally got used to the feeling of sliding, she managed to move her feet, though she lost her balance easily.

He made no attempt to try and catch her when she did. After all, trial and error was the best way to learn.

"You really are bad at this," he mumbled when she stumbled, the tip of her blade catching the ice below. "You need to lift your feet more, or you're just going to keep tripping."

"Easier said than done," Nami ground out. "I told you I can't skate."

"You'll learn," Law said dismissively. "Stand up straighter. If you keep leaning like that you're going to fall again."

She grumbled, but did as she was told.

Zoro and Sanji zoomed past, Zoro laughing as Nami slipped once again, this time losing her grip on Law's arm and landing flat on her ass. Sanji glared at him, but continued on, shoving past Zoro in an attempt to get ahead of him.

_Robin probably asked him not to interfere, _Nami concluded. He probably would have tried to take over helping her if she hadn't.

With a bit of effort, Nami finally stood, gripping the sleeve of Law's jacket with almost enough force to tear it. He sighed then, turning so he was facing her and took both her wrists in his hand. "Since you can't seem to do it any other way, I'll have to help you like they do with _children_."

That struck a nerve, but before she could respond, he started moving, pulling her with him. She stumbled a bit, but eventually found her footing. It wasn't long before she was able to move her feet without tripping.

"Well aren't you two just adorable," Franky tease as he slid past.

"You're so lucky I can't chase you down," she seethed.

He just laughed.

"Your friends seem to have the idea that there's something going on between us."

"Tch, they've had that idea since I got out of the hospital. Though I doubt that has anything with you being here, Luffy seems to like you for whatever reason."

He huffed. "They seem to be infecting my friend's minds as well."

"They'll do that," she sighed. "I know Robin's up to something, I just don't know exactly what."

He hummed. "She was hinting at something along those lines earlier."

Nami shook her head, her coppery tresses swaying in the pony tail she'd tied them in that morning. "Give her another week, she'll probably start pushing for a date or something."

He raised a brow at this. "I'd hate to see how Sanji-ya would react to that."

She snorted. "You'd be dead before you even realized what happened."

Somewhere during the conversation, he let go of her, though she didn't notice. I wasn't until he moved beside her, hands in his pockets, that she realized she was skating on her own. Her brows knit and she turned to look at him, though she regretted almost immediately.

Though she was able to move on her own now, she wasn't ready to try and put her attention elsewhere. She stumbled, falling forward with a loud shriek, but before she could hit the ice, he was in front of her, his hands catching hers as he pulled her up again. "Maybe you should focus on just going straight."

She puffed her cheeks out indignantly. "I figured as much."

Once he was sure she was steady, he let go and went back to her side.

* * *

><p>"They're kind of cute together," Robin mused.<p>

Zoro scoffed. "I feel like those two would be nothing but hell. He better have a will stronger than a damn mountain to deal with that witch."

The woman simply hummed. "I think he could manage."

"Maybe so, but I don't think there's anything between them," Zoro stated. "It takes a lot more than just teaching her how to skate to woo her."

"It would be interesting to watch how this works out. The way I see it, they're either going to love each other or hate each other."

"No grey area huh?" He shook his head, "Like I said, it's gonna take a lot more than just that to get her to look at him like that. You know she doesn't trust easily."

"Whatever happens is up to them," Franky cut in, leaning over the railing. "I get where you're coming from, Robin, and I know you mean well, but after what happened last time, maybe it's not a good idea to try and push things."

Zoro raised a brow at that. "Has dating Robin turned you into a wiser man, Franky? I never thought I'd hear you say something like that."

The man in question simply shrugged. "She'll manage without our help. You know as well as I do that Nami's a strong girl. There may be times when she needs a bit of a push, but I think we've done enough pushing for now."

"We'll see." Robin laughed. "This is all falling under the assumption that they _could_ feel that way. As I said before, it's possible those two could easily become enemies."

"If it happens, it happens," Zoro waved his hand dismissively. "Ain't really our place to be interfering in her life like that. You know damn well she'll give us an earful if we try to take it too far again."

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><p><strong>Note: <strong>I wasn't going to use the -ya suffix, but it just didn't sound right to me when I originally used Miss Nico, so I'm probably going to just stick with the -ya thing.

And ice skating is hard. I used to be really good at it until we moved to the south and it's been so long the last time i tried I couldn't even stand on the ice without busting my ass.

By the way, this chapter's shorter because it was originally longer and I'll be adding the second half of the thing later, hopefully tomorrow or Friday.


	9. Chapter 9: Not Enough

Note: Ya'll are making me blush with these reviews.

Also, note that the last part of this chapter was inspired by **Scattered by Kagehime3** (and if you haven't read that yet, you need to because it's fucking fantastic and I can't even put into words how much I love that fic).

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><p>Chapter 9: Not Enough<p>

"What do you mean you hate bread?" Nami gaped at him, stopping in the middle of the rink with her brows drawn low. "Is that even possible?"

He found her reaction amusing.

"Considering that I don't like it, I would say that it is in fact possible," he drawled. "If it exists, someone dislikes it."

"I thought it was the other way around," Nami replied. She started forward again, wobbling a tiny bit, but managed to keep her ground.

"It works both ways," Law shrugged.

She gave him a skeptical look, but shrugged. What he was saying was true; there was always going to someone who liked or disliked something. "But bread?"

"Surely there's some type of food you don't like."

She wrinkled her nose at that and said, "Mushrooms. Even when Sanji cooks them I still don't like them. Too earthy for me, but that's common. A lot of people don't like mushrooms. I've never heard of someone disliking bread. Is it a particular kind or just in general."

"In general."

"What the hell do you eat?"

"Anything that doesn't have bread on it."

She sneered, "okay fine, be a smartass."

He humored her with a smirk before stepping off the rink. She followed in suit, plopping down on the bench to untie her skates. It was getting late; the sun was setting, painting the sky with hues of pink and orange. Luffy and Usopp had already left, and upon looking at the parking lot, she saw Chopper's car pulling out.

"Uh, Boss, something came up so Shachi and I can't take you home today and Bepo already left." Penguin said as he approached them. Then he looked past Law and at Nami, "Do you think..."

She gave a small shrug. "I guess I can. Did Robin and them already leave?"

Penguin nodded. "She and Franky have a dinner date tonight and Sanji's working the night shift at the bar."

"And you owe me for driving you home from the bar," Law cut in.

Nami glared at him. She'd been trying to forget that night, especially since her neighbors had taken it upon themselves to ask who had brought her home. She liked them and all, but often times they were too nosey for their own good.

"Fine, fine. I'll drive you home."

As they left, they dropped their skates by the small shack they'd gotten them from.

Nami's car was nothing like the sleek and expensive looking one he owned, but she didn't have a job, at least not anymore, nor did she have a college degree yet. She had what her student loans would pay for.

"Why didn't you drive yourself?" She asked once they were both in the car and the engine roared to life.

"I have enough gas to get to work and back tomorrow. Between the bar and today, I've pretty much spent all the money that wasn't set aside for bills." He leaned back in the passenger's seat and sighed. "Your friends are starting to cost a lot, Nami-ya."

"It was your choice to come," she pointed out, though not callously.

He rolled his eyes.

"At least it seemed like you were having fun."

"It was more entertaining than trying to play poker with Shachi and them, especially considering that no matter how many times we try, Bepo never seems to get it."

She snickered and glanced at him, a devious smile spreading her lips. "Come by the bar one night and I'll show them how to play poker."

Law humed. "Something tells me that it would be more than just poker."

"Well, Zoro likes to call it 'one sided annihilation," she said with a gleeful smile, "though I could go easy on them."

He gave her a skeptical look. "I'd rather not let you play poker with them. You'd probably end up walking away with just about everything they own, houses included."

"I can't say that you're wrong about that."

They sat in silence as they made their way through the town. Law had given her the directions before they'd gotten into the car, and fortunately for Nami, her memory was good enough for her to find her way there without asking every five minutes.

Eventually the city gave way to the suburbs, namely the nicer and more expensive section. When she was younger, she'd wanted to live in this part of town, but given her money crisis, she was stuck with her dinky little apartment until she could start working full time.

"Did you get any information about the accident?" She asked as she turned down a winding street. "Like anything that would contribute to the case?"

"Only that it was a hit-and-run." Law replied. "We don't really pay attention to details; we're more focused on trying to keep people alive."

She was silent for a moment, her fingers drumming against the steering wheel. "What made you want to become a doctor? You never struck me as the kind of person who'd choose to go that route."

"Isn't it a little early for you to start getting personal, Nami-ya?" There was a hint of amusement in his voice, and the slightest trace of a smirk, but it wasn't the usual cocky and infuriating one. It was almost wistful in a way. "My father was a doctor. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was a child."

She kept her eyes on the road. Anybody else might not have noticed his verb choice, but she had. Was being the operative word in that sentence, and judging by the forlorn look on his face, she doubted he gave up the profession in favor of retirement.

"What about you," he asked after a moment, "what made you want to be a meteorologist?"

"How did you know?"

"Nico-ya and Tony-ya were talking about it the last time we were at the bar."

Nami laughed. "I've always had a knack for predicting the weather. My mother always said if we lived in the age of pirates, I'd be the best navigator the world had seen."

"Your mother must take great pride in that," there was something in his voice, something she knew all too well.

"She did. She used to brag about it to all of her friends. I originally wanted to be a cartographer, but when she died, I settled for doing what she wanted me to do, and that was to become a meteorologist."

Law cast her a sideways glance. She was smiling, though it wasn't bright and uncaring as it had been earlier that day. It was rueful and he could tell by the way her knuckles turned white against the steering wheel that there was something she was trying to push down.

"It's the least I can do for her," she muttered.

He almost didn't hear it.

A silence settled over them then, and he found himself thinking back on things he'd rather not dwell on. Memories he'd buried deep in the back of his conscious came forward at that moment, assaulting his mind in a way that had him gripping the side of the seat so tightly he could feel his hand beginning to ache. Any tighter, and he was sure he'd probably rip the seam.

Normally, he had control of his emotions, but for some reason now, hearing her talk about her mother and seeing the sad smile that spread her lips, he found his guard unexpectedly low - and it seemed every horrendous bit of his past seized the opportunity to leap at the weakness in the impenetrable wall he'd built over the years.

If she noticed, she didn't say anything, and for that he was thankful. It was hardly something he wanted to explain to a woman he barely knew.

"It's the third one after this street," he stated once they were close. A sigh tore itself from his lips as he reached into his wallet and withdrew a ten. He held it out to her.

She glanced at it, her brows drawing in confusion, though unsurprisingly, she took it. "What's this for?"

"Driving out here."

He saw her look out of the corner of his eyes. It was one that clearly said that she knew something was bothering him, but her muteness and the fact that she wasn't prying for information was a welcome relief. It made things easier for the both of them.

"You know," she said as she turned into the driveway, "if you want to talk about whatever's bothering you, I'll listen."

When he turned to glare at her, she pushed on. "I'm not trying to pry, and I'm not going to force you to, but just know that sometimes it's better to talk about it."

She was speaking from experience, the look in her eyes told her as much. It was the first time anyone aside from Shachi and them had said something like that to him, and he realized in that moment that beneath the cursing and violence, there was a softer side to her, one that could almost be considered kind - and that was a trait he hadn't seen in years.

He said nothing as he opened the door and stepped out.

Her gaze followed him to the front door. It lingered there for a few seconds after it closed before she finally put the car in reverse and backed into the street.

She wasn't sure why she was focusing on it so much; it really wasn't really her place, but still, she couldn't fight the feeling of familiarity that swelled up inside of her at the sight of his expression - it was one she had worn many times before. The corner of her lip turned up in a pensive manner. He really was an enigma, she knew that much from the first time she'd spoken to him, and she always had the lingering feeling that there had been at least something that had gone wrong in his life, but the drive had cast that out of the water.

There wasn't just something.

Her main question was why she cared.

She had no connection to him outside of being a friend, and even then she was using the term lightly. If it weren't for Luffy taking a liking to him for whatever reason, she most likely never would have seen him outside of the occasional bar meetings - and even then, she probably wouldn't have.

A small sigh tore itself from her lips as she turned onto the city's main street. There were more important matters she had to deal with, and worrying about him wasn't one of them, as rude as it may seem. She needed to get her life back in order before she could even begin to worry about someone elses.

Still, a part of her had wished he'd opened up, even just a little more.

* * *

><p>He wasn't exactly sure what had triggered the episode, and in reality, he wasn't concerned about it in the least. His main concern was stopping the onslaught of flashbacks and vehement shaking of his hands long enough for him to think of some sort of remedy for the sudden attack. But reason and logic was beyond him at this point.<p>

His mind was a mess, plagued by lingering memories and thoughts that he wished he could do nothing more with than to throw them into a trash can and send them out of his life; but such a thing was impossible, because to forget them would be to forget who he was, and to forget the one sliver of light in his dark past; and he would rather deal with the attacks, the pain, all of it, than to forget him.

But at this particular moment, even that didn't seem to bother him.

He felt like he was choking.

No matter how many times he swallowed, the sensation wouldn't disappear, in fact it only seemed to grow stronger as it made him more aware of the fact that it felt like he couldn't breath. But he was breathing, and amidst the turmoil that was his thoughts, he managed to squeeze that little bit in in a fruitless attempt to calm himself.

It would take more than words to stop it though.

He considered the bottle of whiskey in his refrigerator, but waved the idea off. He was already feeling dizzy; the last thing he needed was to add to the growing list of physical complications that accompanied his mental state at the moment.

He tore his jacket off, and tossed it onto the couch. A shiver shot down his spine, but the action was not a result of his trembling; it was a result of the house being cold. He spared a glance at the fireplace along the back wall, but a surge of images quickly shut that idea down; he couldn't light the fire. Not now.

His breathing had become erratic and he but stumbled into the chair and dropped his head into the palms of his hands.

Then the tingling started. It sprouted from the tips of his fingers and it wasn't long before he could feel it in his feet. He was uncomfortably aware of his heart beat; he could feel it in his throat.

Through years of medical study, and years of experiencing it himself, he was able to conclude that the physical ailment he was experiencing was nothing more than an anxiety attack, but that didn't serve any purpose other than letting him know he wasn't having any sort of serious problem, though if asked, he'd easily say it felt like a fucking heart attack.

Because that's what it truly felt like; had he not had any knowledge in the medical field, it would have been his first assumption; and the dull ache in his chest wasn't helping matters. In fact, if was only reaffirming the suspicion.

In the dark of his home, he could see shapes - shapes that were distinctively human. They sparked a sense of familiarity within him. He shut his eyes; he couldn't look at them, not now. But the action was all for naught - he could still see them as clearly as before, as if the images were imprinted on the back of his eye lids.

He could hear a voice then; the sound of a little girl laughing echoed through his mind as if it were on a constant loop and the stop button had broken. His hands gripped the arm of the chair, nails digging into the soft leather. His teeth clenched and he could feel them grinding against each other as he made a desperate attempt to will it all away.

Fucking stop already.

He heard fire. It was loud and crackling. There was a thud as something collapsed. There were screams.

And then nothing.

Just as quickly as the sound and images had come, they stopped, leaving him with nothing but a defining silence .

He'd broken out in a cold sweat, and when he unclasped his fingers from the chair, they ached. His body shook like the tremors of an earthquake, and when he made a grab for his phone, which had been carelessly tossed onto the table beside him, it slipped out of his grasp and landed on the hardwood floor, the screen shattering.

He felt numb then, as if he'd suddenly lost connection with reality and all he could do was slump back in the chair, his arm still draped over the rest from his failed attempt to retice his phone, trembling and breathing heavily. The urge to curl up where he sat, to bury his face in the black feathered coat that hung on the back of the chair, and scream, was overwhelming, but the fatigue and exhaustion that had washed over him that moment was stronger.

It was another twenty minutes before his breathing had calmed, thought the feelings of uncertainty and unexplainable fear still lingered.

As soon as he was certain he wasn't going to knock anything over, he reached for the lamp beside him and turned it on. A sense of relief fell over him the instant the room was illuminated. He tossed his head back, a loud sigh escaping his lips as he glanced at the archway leading to the kitchen.

One bottle of whiskey was not going to be enough to get him through the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong> This was so hard, and yet easy to write. Easy in the respect that I know what anxiety attacks feel like, but difficult in the respect that I don't have hallucinations and the fact that Law was breaking down in such away was painful (but I still enjoyed it oops).


	10. Chapter 10: Backfired Plans

**Note:** Oops, my hand slipped.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 10: Backfired Plans<strong>_

Given that Christmas had spilled past uncelebrated, her friends were determined to celebrate New Years. What her friends had forgotten to mention was that they decided the location without her, and they had forgotten to _tell_ her they were having it at _her _place until twenty minutes before they arrived. As much as she wanted to protest, she should have seen it coming; it was typical of them to pull a stunt like this. Still, she couldn't shake the lingering fear that something was going to go horribly wrong, as it always did.

"And why are _you_ here?" She turned her incredulous stare to the man lounging on her couch.

"Your friends invited me."

Of course they did.

Nami sighed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. She was going to kill the lot of them before this night ended.

"Trafalguy! Come play with us."

Law shook his head as an irate sigh past his lips. "No."

"But Trafalguy!" Luffy whined from his spot on the floor. "You never play with us."

"Later."

Luffy wasn't pleased with the answer, but before he could say anything, Nami interjected. "I actually need his help with something, so he can join you later."

As she turned on her heels, Law let out another sigh before following her into the spare bedroom. "Did you really need my help?"

"I figured I'd save you from Luffy's nagging for once, but I did need a little help."

He raised a brow. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes, and he couldn't help but have a bad feeling about her plea for help. She was plotting something.

"Let's just say I'm thinking of something along the lines of payback for the bar incident." There was a devious smirk her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side as she gauged his expression.

"The bar incident?"

"I did tell you the printed the pictures off and slid them under my door, right?" She hummed and plopped down into the desk chair. "And I know they sent them to your friends as well."

She was right. Shachi and Penguin refused to let the matter rest. One of them had even gone as far as changing his laptop background to it, though he had yet to figure out exactly who the culprit was.

"And how exactly do you expect to do that?"

"A little alcohol and a bottle might just do the trick."

"And how exactly does this involve me?"

"Someone's got to convince Shachi and them, and if you play, there's a good possibility Luffy will, which means the others will inevitably join in as well. That and someone needs to be sober enough to take the pictures."

"Unless you plan on letting me use your phone, I don't think I can."

She knit her brows. "Why's that?"

"Shattered my screen the other night. I went to reach for it when Shachi called me but it fell off the table."

"I guess you can use mine then," she said as she pulled it from her bra and handed it to him. "The password is zero seven nineteen."

He typed the code in, and began sweeping through the screens, and Nami passed it off as nothing more than him trying to locate the camera until his face twisted in amusement and he glanced up at her. "Is there any particular reason why I'm in your contacts as 'Surgeon of Death'?"

"Hey! I said you could use it to take pictures! I never said you could go through my contacts!"

He chuckled. "You have a very interesting sense of humor, Nami-ya. I wonder who Mosshead and Dartboard Brow could be."

"Just stop going through my contacts already." She grumbled.

He shrugged and slipped the phone into his pocket.

"Oi, Nami!" Zoro appeared in the doorway moments later. His brows drew together as soon as he realized she wasn't alone, but the look was gone as soon as it appeared. "The stupid love cook is looking for you."

His gaze lingered on Law for a few seconds longer before he turned to leave. "And I advise you two to be careful about being together, alone, in the same room. That damn Dart Brow will have a fit if he catches you."

"Considering that nothing's going on, I don't see why it would be a problem."

Zoro snorted. "You're a man and you're with her. That's all the reason that idiot needs."

Nami rolled her eyes. "Come on, the last thing I need is Sanji starting a fight in the middle of my house."

As soon as she left the room, the cook in question was standing in the hallway. "Nami-swaan! What kind of drink do you want?"

"Maybe a Strawberry Daiquiri? It's been a while since I had one."

He nodded enthusiastically and skipped off to make the drink. Just as she grabbed an empty bottle from the coffee table, Luffy bounded up to her. "Nami! Can Trafalguy play now?"

"If he wants to. I was thinking it couldn't hurt to play a game of spin the bottle? We haven't played since high school."

In the kitchen, Sanji nearly dropped the glass in his hand. She didn't need to see his face to know he was down for the game.

"Alright! Everyone's playing! No exceptions."

There was much protest from the group, but they had all learned the lesson years ago; when Luffy decided on something, there was no escaping it. After a few groans and choice curses, all of them, including Law, much to everyone's surprise, had settled in a wide circle on the floor of her living room.

"So who wants to go first?"

Naturally, it was Luffy who took the bottle first. He spun it without a care while the others watched it intently. As it begun to slow, the anticipation was evident on their faces, each one silently praying it wouldn't land on them. Then it came to a stop. Silence settled over the group, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Law stiffen.

It had landed on him.

A fit of laughter broke out among them, and when Luffy leaned over, obviously not caring whether the other man was akward or not, they began laughing harder at Law's failed attempt to move away. With Nami holding him in place, the younger man managed to plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek, snickering at Law's obvious discomfort. He fell backwards, kicking his feet against the floor was Law reached up and rubbed his cheek with the sleeve of his coat.

Nami never wanted her phone in her hands anymore than at that moment.

"I hate you," he seethed quietly, his glare sending daggers in her direction.

"You agreed to play," she retorted before turning to Usopp. "You're turn."

He sighed in reluctance, but spun the bottle nonetheless. He was almost relieved when it landed on Robin, though that didn't stop the nervous glance he shot at Franky. The man in question laughed and nodded, as if signaling it was fine for him to proceed. She even leaned in, just for the amusement.

"Zoro's turn."

Unlike the others, Zoro regarded the bottle with nonchalance as he spun it.

"Get the camera read," Nami whispered. She was hoping it would land on the blond across from her. It would definitely serve for an interesting picture.

When the bottle stopped, none of them could contain their laughter. Even Law started chuckling at the utter discomfort on their faces, or in Zoro's case, the mixture between disgust and fury.

"I am n-"

"Yes you are, Zoro-ya." Law cut in, tossing him a sadistic grin. "If I had to sit through Luffy doing that, then you're not getting out of it either."

"There is no fucking wa-"

"Sanji!" Nami cried, looking dejected. "I thought we were supposed to having fun tonight! Are you really that upset with the game I chose?"

He was having mixed feelings then. Finally, after a moment, a strained sigh escaped his lips and he grimaced. "Only because of Nami-swan am I allowing this to happen."

"I ain't doing it."

"Then that'll be five hundred beli for every second of my time you waste, and I don't think you need _anymore_ debt piling up."

A string of curses escaped his lips, but the threat was enough to get him to relent. He knew damn well she'd hold true to it.

"You know, prolonging it only makes it worse," Robin chuckled.

He tossed her a glare before sitting beside Sanji. He scrunched his face, disgusted with the situation before leaning forward. Just before his lips met his cheek, the blond's head turned and their lips met. He pulled back instantly, his face twisting with absolute discontempt, he glanced past the sputtering cook to see Robin smiling mischievously.

"My hand slipped," was all she said in defense, though it could hardly be heard over Luffy's roaring laughter.

"Oh? Tashigi, when did you get here?"

Zoro's head snapped towards the door, his brows rising into his hairline.

Tashigi had just come in, her hand still resting on the handle. "Maybe I should come back?" She turned abruptly, but before she could close the front door, Zoro was behind her. He cast an irate glare at the group before slamming it shut.

"Please tell me you got that," Nami whispered once the others had continued their laughing fit.

In response, Law turned the phone her way, the perfectly caught picture filling the screen. She smiled in response.

"Nami! It's your turn!" Luffy called. He sat up, wiping the tears from his eyes.

She spun the bottle. It seemed to turn for an eternity before it began to slow. Her eyes tracked its every movement, desperate yet curious to see where it landed. After a full minute in rotation, it stopped. Her eyes widened.

She hadn't thought about that possibility, which was rather careless of her. But she'd been so caught up in getting _something_ to hold over their heads, she didn't realize she was putting herself in a position to give them _more_ to hold over _her_ head.

"Well that's certainly an interesting outcome," Law muttered. It was evident by his tone he was just as shocked as she was.

"You have to do it." Penguin piped up.

Law turned to glare at him, and Nami was certain that if Shachi hadn't been used to the looks, he probably would have wet his pants - Law was by no means amused.

"It's just a kiss," Franky laughed, and leaned back against the couch.

She fucked up.

"This is the last time I listen to you," Law hissed when she leaned towards his cheek.

"On the lips," Shachi interjected.

Nami grit her teeth. She was going to kill all of them after this.

"You act like I _want_ to do this," she scoffed.

"You're wasting time!" Usopp teased.

She was definitely going to slaughter all of them.

She took a deep breath. The longer she hesitated, the harder going through with the result was becoming - she was making it more difficult than it needed to be.

In the end, it was Law who took the initiative.

Their lips touched for a fraction on a second, but it was enough to cause her to stiffen. Even after he'd pulled back, huffing with annoyance at the laughter that had broken out around them, she could still feel the pressure, and the urge to reach out and slap him was overwhelming, but she held back. She put herself in that position and she had to deal with the consequences.

She hadn't even realized that he'd already gone and spun the bottle, this time landing on Shachi, who was trying to scoot away.

"Boss! Come on! No!" He tried protesting, but Penguin had moved behind him, looping his arms under Shachi's to hold him still.

"Payback's a bitch," Law chuckled darkly.

Shachi tried to pull away as he leaned in, but Penguin's grip only tightened, and much to his dismay, Bepo had grabbed the back of his head so he couldn't turn it. Law kissed his cheek.

"Ew! You spit on me!" Shachi cried a moment later.

All of them were in hysterics moments later, and even Nami, who had been embarrassed beyond words not two seconds ago, couldn't hold back her laughter. Just when she'd thought she'd managed to stifle it, Law leaned back to reveal Shachi scrubbing his face harshly, muttered about how unsanity it was.

"I have half a mind to spit on you now," He grumbled as he finally dropped his arm. "That was gross."

"And yet you didn't put up too much of a fight," Penguin pointed out. "You could have easily gotten out of that."

"He'd chase me down!" The man retorted indignantly.

"No, they would have chased you down and I would have waited until you couldn't get away" Law shrugged, seizing his bottle from the table beside him.

"You are easily the most sadistic man I know."

Law chuckled at that. "You've known me for how many years and you're just now realizing this?"

* * *

><p>He'd be lying if he claimed not to notice the change in her behavior.<p>

She was making a special effort to avoid him after the game had ended, and he couldn't help but think she was being a bit unreasonable and _childish_ even. And it was only serving to drag his mood down, though he couldn't help but wonder why he cared in the first place.

"She's just embarrassed," Robin chuckled, as if reading his thoughts. She'd taken the spot on the other end of the couch a few moments prior, a drink and a book in hand. "You might not believe this, but the amount of times Nami's been kissed is surprisingly low."

She was right; he didn't believe her, not entirely. While he was never one to focus or pay attention to physical appearances, he was not blind when it came to attractiveness, and Nami certainly was attractive. He found it hard to believe that a woman like her hadn't had much to do with romance.

"High school was a rough period for her, and even now, most guys tend to back off after the first date or so." The older woman sighed. "She wasn't exactly Miss Popular in school."

Law raised a brow at this, prompting her to continue.

"There were a lot of rumors going around, most of them focusing on her supposed sex life. Needless to say some of the _nicknames_ that had sprouted out of them were more than degrading. Even now, it isn't uncommon for someone to refer to her as _whore_ or _slut, _though I can assure you she's in fact, the opposite."

"I guess it's not easy being pretty," he mused and took a swig of his drink.

"I wouldn't say it has anything to do with being pretty," Robin hummed, "but more of the fact that she's a woman, with assets, and before the others came along, she was the only girl in a group of guys, and that set up never calls for good rumors. Sanji-san's constant fawning over her never did help matters either."

"I never would have pegged her as a slut, though I never would have guessed she was so _inexperienced_." He let his gaze fall on her. She was sitting in the chair across the room, watching the boys as they started a wrestling match. Her distress was obvious, but she made no move to stop them.

"It's just one of the things that accompanies being a woman. It doesn't matter who you are, now attractive you are, or how sexually active you are, in the long run, there's always going to be at least one point where you're called a slut."

Law snorted. "She hasn't had it easy, has she?"

Robin cast him an inquiring glance, "Did something happen between you two?"

He shrugged and downed the last of his beer. "She mentioned something about her mother a few nights ago, but she didn't go into details."

The woman chuckled. "I'm surprised she mentioned anything to begin with. Nami doesn't like to dwell on those kinds of things. She must trust you to an extent if she opened up about that."

"Is it that bad?"

A wistful smile spread her lips then and she sighed. "I'm one of her closest friends and I still don't know the whole story. Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Luffy were the only ones involved with her before high school and I don't think even _they_ know everything. But she's a strong woman. To deal with all of that and yet to be able to forgive afterwards..."

She stopped and shook her head. "It's not really my business to be talking about Nami's life, though. If you're really curious, you'll just have to wait for her to open up about it."

"You seem to be under the impression that I have an interest in her."

She smiled knowingly. "Well, I'm sure it was more than just Luffy's whining that brought you here tonight. That or you've just become more attached to us than you're willing to let on."

He almost laughed at that. "I feel like I should say the same to you. You don't strike me as the kind of person to hang around these idiots."

"I have my reasons," she replied.

"Oi! It's almost midnight!" Luffy hollered, holding up his phone. "Sanji! Meat!"

"People normally have a drink, Luffy," the blond chided, but made his way to the kitchen nonetheless.

Robin got up then, moving to settle on the floor next to Franky. She smirked at him when she caught him watching Nami again, but he chose to ignore the look. She was going to believe what she wanted to believe, whether he told her she was wrong or not.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>Depending on the feedback, I might add the conversation between Zoro and Tashigi in the next chapter.

Law's crew is nothing but dorks and you can't tell me otherwise.

Also Law Robin brotp and you can't stop me.


	11. Chapter 11: One Thing After Another

**Note: **This chapter was really hard because I've never written anything for ZoTash, but if you don't ship it, you can just skip like the first half of this chapter~

Also police officer Tashigi anyone?

(Note that Zoro and Tashigi's relationship was mentioned in Chapter 1, but I never really did much with it until now. By the way, I'm not a huge ZoTash shipper myself but yolo. )

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 11: One Thing After Another<strong>_

He was going to kill them.

"Oi. Copy-cat, will you stop walking so damn fast?"

When she didn't respond, he quickened his pace. Just when things had finally fallen into a comfortable pace for him, something as stupid as this had to come along and throw it all out of whack. And damn it all if he wasn't going to make them regret it if this turned into some sort of ordeal.

He knew she wasn't _too_ mad, she wasn't running or blowing up in his face, but he knew she wasn't exactly happy with what she had witnessed. He couldn't say as he blamed her; he probably would have reacted in the same way had _he_ been the one to stumble on such a thing. Actually, he probably would have reacted more violently, but that wasn't the point.

The point was that it was nothing more than a stupid game, and if the other's hadn't been so caught up and enjoying his embarrassment, they'd understand the gravity of the situation. Though, he couldn't blame them all, he had been part of it as well, and none of them were expecting her to show up; she'd actually texted him earlier that day to let him know that the chances of getting out of work were extremely slim.

"Will you stop for a moment, god damn it."

As soon as she was within reach, he grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.

She looked everywhere but at his face, her cheeks puffed out in the same manner of indigence he'd come to know over the years. A heavy sigh slipped past her lips. She wasn't mad, but she was damn close to it.

He wasn't even sure what to say in defense of himself. How exactly could he justify that without making it sound like she was overreacting? Because she really wasn't, in reality, but the way things had happened had only served to make things more difficult; and the fact that he wasn't used to dealing with these situations wasn't helping matters.

Then she bit her lower lip and a surge of panic washed over him. If she started crying, he was screwed. Not only was he horrible at dealing with upset women, if the others found out he'd made her cry, he'd be six feet under by morning. When she started trembling, the panic only grew.

"O-Oi."

She couldn't contain it anymore.

A giggle escaped her lips and she brought a hand up to stifle it, but it didn't accomplish much. She was laughing so hard she couldn't make a sound. Upon seeing the look of utter confusion that twisted his features, she could only turn away.

"Sanji?" She finally managed to choke out. "Of everyone in the room, Sanji?"

His eye twitched. "Oi! It ain't like I wanted to do that! They pushed me into it. And what the hell are you laughing for?!"

She was leaning against the railing that kept blocked the edge of the pouch from the ground below. It creaked dangerously beneath her weight, and despite the current situation, he couldn't help but step forward. He'd seen Luffy fall through it numerous times in the past, and he was not about to let her do the same.

"But Sanji?"

"Tch, as much as I hate to say it, I'm _glad _it was just _him_."

She caught the undertone in his words.

Her fit of laughter had died down to the occasional giggle here and there, but he didn't mind overly much. The fact that she was laughing meant she wasn't mad, or that she couldn't stay mad for long. There really was no telling when it came to her.

"I was just caught off guard," she said, catching the serious expression in his gaze. "I'm not mad."

"Sure as hell seemed like it."

"I was trying not to laugh."

His look turned incredulous, but he passed it off with a sigh.

Sometimes it really hurt to look at her. The way she stood, the way she spoke, everything about her reminded him of someone he once knew, and sometimes the resemblance was so uncanny that he found it unbearable.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

Her voice was soft, though there was a saddened lilt to it. He grumbled in response. She'd known about Kuina since their first meeting. They'd gotten into a fight, and he refused to hit her on the grounds of how similar she looked to the girl, but she had taken it as a matter of him simply being sexist, which hadn't been the case at all. It had taken years to convince her otherwise.

She sighed. The situation had been addressed several times, and each time she didn't know how to respond. She could only sit and listen to him talk.

And there was always a part of her that wondered what would have happened if she _hadn't_ died.

Then Zoro turned his attention to her again. "I thought you had to work tonight."

"I managed to talk Smoker-san into letting me off. Even if it's new years, there's more than enough people on duty tonight."

"You could have called," he grumbled.

"I did. You were too busy to answer." She started laughing again, but he silenced her with his lips.

The suddenness startled her, and out of sheer instinct, she took a step back, only to kick the railing with her foot. She nearly lost her balance, being as clumsy as she was, but Zoro held her steady. "Stop laughing, damn it."

"Fine, fine," She said, though she couldn't keep the amused smirk off her face. "Let's go back inside, I'm cold."

Zoro turned to open the door when his phone went off. He knit his brows. No one should have been texting him, but upon looking at the message, his brows lifted.

_**Nami spun the bottle and it landed on Trafalgar. I'd appreciate it if you could get me a picture. - Robin**_

While he wasn't one for butting into people's personal lives, opportunity was too good to pass up. He quickly brought up the camera and opened the door.

* * *

><p>By the time two am had rolled around, most of them were out cold.<p>

Glancing around, she found that her house was a mess, and there was a good chance most of them were going to leave in the morning without helping her clean, but she was too tired to care at the moment. The party had been hectic, but all of their get togethers were. It wasn't surprising she was exhausted.

She plopped down on the couch next to Law.

He raised a brow at that. "You've been avoiding me all night, and now you suddenly decide to sit here?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I'd be in my room if I could, but I let Zoro and Tashigi take my bed tonight."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He inquired.

She sneered at him. "They're not going to do anything. I only let them take it because Tashigi drank herself sick and Zoro wasn't going to leave her alone in there, but if you have time to be worrying about my friends, I think you should be worried about your own. Shachi's passed out by the toilet and Bepo and Penguin are in the bathtub."

Law shrugged. "They'll be fine. As long as they're still breathing I've got nothing to be concerned about."

"How callous."

He chuckled. "Trust me, Nami-ya. If I thought something was going to happen to them I'd be in there. You seem to forget that I _am_ a doctor."

She rolled her eyes at this and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it. "Well you don't _look_ like a doctor. Honestly, if I hadn't met you in the hospital, in uniform, I'd have mistaken you for some kind of thug."

"I hear that quite often."

"Your tattoos don't help matters. Speaking of which, what on Earth possessed you to have the word _death_ tattooed on both hands?"

"Again with the personal questions, Nami-ya? I mean, I know we kissed and all bu-"

He caught the pillow she'd sent his way with ease. She was seething and he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Getting a rise out of her was so easy, and her reactions made it all worth it in the end, even if he did run the risk of getting punched.

"You know there's going to be pictures of that." She muttered.

"Well, considering you have one of Cook-ya and Zoro-ya, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"It'll be a problem if my sister gets it. I'll _never_ hear the end of it."

He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the couch. He didn't see what the big deal was, granted he was going to face some teasing from Shachi and them, but it wouldn't be nothing he couldn't handle. They knew where to draw the line. _Her_ friends, on the other hand seemed to haven't have grasped that concept yet.

"At least you didn't spit on me." She couldn't keep the giggle out of her voice.

He snorted.

Silence settled over them then, broken only by the snoring of her friends. Normally, he would have left by now, but as much as he played it off, he wasn't up for the idea of leaving them behind. And after the episode he'd had a few nights prior, he was strangely content with not being alone at that moment.

In fact, he'd been so paranoid of another attack he failed to notice just how exhausted he was.

She, on the other hand, hadn't.

"Sleep." Her voice was stern, almost like a mother's in a way. "You look like hell."

"Don't tell me what to do," he grumbled.

"You look like you haven't slept in a week."

She had no idea just how accurate that statement was.

He grumbled. "I always look like that."

"Which is why you need to sleep."

"No."

He didn't want to run the risk of waking everyone up from another nightmare. The last thing he needed was a multitude of questions the second he woke up. Then she surprised him with her next question.

"Is it a matter of you _don't _want to sleep, or you _can't_ sleep."

_Both,_ he wanted to say but he remained quiet. His earlier conversation with Robin, coupled with the incident when she drove him home was enough to piece together the assumption that she was no stranger to the feeling herself. He was tempted to ask her about it.

As much as he denied it, he was curious.

She _was_ strong, he could see that without being told, but part of him wondered just what had happened in her life to make her that way.

"Where'd you get that scar?"

She knit her brows. "What scar?"'

"The one on your arm, underneath the tattoo."

He glanced at it with a critical eye. He'd seen enough wounds to know that that one wasn't just some cut that hadn't healed properly. Judging by the angle and the way the scar set, he was able to conclude that it was self inflicted.

She reached up to touch it, a small frown turning her lips as the tips of her fingers trailed over the raised area. "Oh, this. Something happened when I was younger."

The way she was sitting, her legs drawn to her chest, and her tone told him that there was going to be no more discussion on the matter. It only served to reaffirm what Robin said; he'd just have to wait for her to tell him, and God only knows how long that'd take.

She was a stubborn woman, after all.

"I suppose the tattoo was meant to cover it?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, and for a moment he thought she wasn't going to respond. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "In a way. It's more of a token towards the two people who were like family to me."

She jerked her head towards the picture on the table beside her. "None of us look a like do we?"

He turned to glance at it. There were three people present. A girl with bright blue hair, he recognized her as one of the girls that had come into the hospital room after the accident, a younger girl with fiery orange hair, which he didn't doubt was Nami herself, and a woman behind them with one of the strangest hair cuts he'd ever seen. At first he never noticed the difference in their faces; when he'd seen the picture the time he brought her home, he figured it was just her and her cousins or something.

"No, you don't."

"They aren't my real family." She paused then, as if saying something she hadn't meant to. "Well, they are, but none of us are related by blood."

He took a huge leap then, hoping he wasn't prodding at something that would set her off, or bring something up she'd rather not talk about. "What happened to your real family?"

Much to his surprise, she only shrugged. "I don't know. I never met them. Mom was a Marine when she found my sister and I. Nojiko might remember her parents, but I was still a baby at the time."

She reached for the half empty bottle on the table in front of her and took a swig, grimacing at the foul taste of warm beer. "Mom really liked tangerines. We had a whole grove where we used to live. She had a friend in the town too, a sheriff named Genzo. He always used to have this pinwheel in his hat."

"Why?" Was the only thing he could manage to ask.

Nami giggled. "He always used to try to make me laugh when I was a baby, or so Mom said. Luffy met him once, though I think he was more intrigued by the pinwheel than he was Genzo."

"And that tattoo represents both of them?"

She nodded. "I considered getting one for my sister as well, but the fact that we both have them kind of makes up for it."

The she turned to him, a devious grin spreading her lips. "But since I told you that," she jabbed her finger at him, "you need to tell me about the ones on your hands."

He should have known she would pull something like that. Granted, he could probably easily get out of explaining, but she had opened up just a little bit, and about a subject she initially didn't want to talk about. She'd probably punch him if he backed out.

"Let's just say I've seen death twice." He replied, his gaze fixated on the table in front of him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "That's all I'm going to say about it."

Nami held her tongue. There was something in the way he spoke then that sent a shiver down her spine - she was treading into dangerous territory.

She puffed her cheeks indignantly, but didn't push him further. Instead, she opted for the book she'd gotten out earlier that day, a novel that didn't exactly strike her as great, but it was interesting nonetheless. Within minutes, she felt her eyes growing heavy and shortly after that she'd dropped the book into her lap, her head lolling to the side.

Law had positioned himself in a more comfortable position, leaning his head against the armrest. He'd almost nodded off when Penguin came stumbling out the the bathroom in search of water. When he caught the amused look Law was giving him he shook his head and grumbled, "I'm never drinking again."

"You'll be wanting to go to Rayleigh's in a couple days."

Penguin shrugged. There was no point in arguing; he knew he was right. "I'm never drinking with _Nami_ again," he rephrased.

He knew all too well that feeling. He could out drink her, but only barely, and upon the first time he'd witnessed the spectacle, he was certain the words 'alcohol poisoning' meant nothing to her body. The woman had an alcohol tolerance that was almost inhumane. His first suspicion was that she drank too much, but there was also the possibility that she was just one of those people who had naturally had a high tolerance.

"You know damn well that the next time she offers, you're going to."

Penguin downed the glass he'd poured himself and leaned back against the counter in the kitchen. "I'm surprised you managed to beat her."

He snorted. "Keep in mind that I was already half drunk when she started."

"She wasn't exactly sober herself," the other man pointed out. "It was pretty interesting to watch; I've never seen you that bad before. I thought you were going to puke on the last one."

Law simply shrugged in response. He really had pushed himself that night, just to see her limit, and as it would seem, it was about the same as his. It was careless on his part, considering that he probably could have ended up with alcohol poisoning himself, but he came out with nothing more than a headache worthy of Hell.

"Learned my lesson though; don't drink with her unless you're prepared to run the risk of _dying_." Penguin chuckled.

"Or at least know your limits." Law rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell him I told you this, but the one who put that picture on your computer was Shachi, though it was Bepo's idea."

"And where exactly did they get the picture?"

Penguin ducked his head, hiding his eyes. He wasn't going to tell him he'd taken them.

He was not.

He absolutely was not.

"Penguin..."

"I might have had one?" He offered, flashing Law a nervous smile. "But Zoro sent it to me! I don't know who took the original picture!"

A sigh escaped Law's lips and he reached forward to rub his temple. "Give me your phone."

"I didn't take one earlier, if that's what you're looking for." He obliged anyway. "I don't think anyone took a picture of it, actually. Luffy was still laughing over Zoro and Sanji, and I didn't see Robin with her phone at all."

After a few minutes of looking through his phone, Law handed it back. "And Shachi?"

"I wasn't paying attention to him." Penguin shrugged. "You'll have to ask him in the morning."

"Maybe Usopp?"

"I doubt it," Law waved his hand dismissively. "He still gets nervous around me, I doubt he'd be that bold. That and Nami-ya would likely give him hell if she found out."

Penguin glanced at the woman. She'd fallen to the side, using the arm of the couch as a pillow. "And what exactly do you think of Nami?"

It was a bold question on Penguin's part, but he had been expecting it. Of the three of them, it was often Penguin who got straight to the point.

"I'm not exactly sure," Law responded.

It was difficult to say; if he wanted to use the term loosely, he could consider her a friend, but in the grand scheme of things, at that point in time, she was borderline between acquaintance and friend.

It wasn't much of an answer, but Penguin had no choice other than to settle for it. Pushing wouldn't get him anywhere, and he knew that if Law truly had an answer, he'd have told him. Despite how dysfunctional their group could be at times, there wasn't much they kept from each other.

"You'll tell us when you've figured it out?"

It wasn't a question, not entirely.

Law smiled at him. "Since when have I hidden anything from you guys."

"All the time, Boss." Penguin replied flatly.

He couldn't deny that. "Go check on Shachi and Bepo. The last thing we need is them _dying_ in Nami-ya's bathroom."

* * *

><p><strong>Note<strong>: I couldn't remember if Mikan meant Orange or Tangerine so I went with tangerine.

I kinda took liberties with Penguin's personality so.


	12. Chapter 12: Push and Shove

**Note:** This is officially the farthest I've ever gotten with a multi-chapter story. I thought I was going to drop this after like the first three chapters, but your reviews and all that good stuff just keeps giving me motivation. You all get cookies.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 12: Push and Shove<strong>_

The first thing she was aware of was the weight on her chest. It wasn't constricting, but when she shifted she found that she couldn't move her arm. Her eyes snapped open, a sense of panic over taking her, but once her blurry gaze adjusted, she found herself staring down at the back of a hat. She wiggled then, trying to free her arms, but the movement caused the offender to shift.

_Offenders._

Some time during the night, Penguin and Law had deemed her a worthy pillow; Penguin was sprawled across her, his head on the arm of the couch. Law had turned on his side, his cheek resting against her shoulder and his arm carelessly draped over Penguin's knees. Even if he could be one of the most infuriating men she'd ever met, she had to admit he was kind of _cute _when he was sleeping. He looked almost at peace without the scowl or constant frown on his face. She knew, however, that image would be shattered once he woke up.

The one thing she'd learned from the time he'd fallen asleep on her in the bar was that he was _not_ a morning person.

She sighed and opted for settling back against the couch. The other's hadn't woken up yet, though a few of them stirred slightly. In the distance, she could hear Luffy muttering something about meat. When she glanced down at them again, she wished she'd had her phone. I'd make for a good picture, nothing to be used as blackmail; it was just strangely endearing.

Another thought struck her then. Law's hat had fallen off. Even at the hospital he'd been wearing it, but now it lay on the ground where it had fallen. She knit her brows, tilting her head to the side as she took in his appearance with curiosity. His hair was messy, something she wasn't surprised to see; it matched his gruff appearance

He shifted then, his brows drawing low as his upper lip curled in a grimace as his head slipped further down her arm.. A low groan escaped his lips and he reached up to place his fingers on his temple. Begrudgingly, he opened his eyes, wincing at the brightness of the room. He blinked a couple times before his gaze shifted to Penguin, who had draped an arm of his eyes, his mouth open as he snored silently. He moved his gaze again, this time finding nothing but a mass amount to cleavage.

Unless Shachi had miraculously turned into a woman over night, he was dreaming.

It took a few moments before he finally recovered his bearings. He blinked again, raising a brow in confusion. He wasn't dreaming; his face really was nearly buried in someone chest. With another groan, he pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. When he moved his hand, he found Nami staring at him, her expression clearly amused.

"Morning, Doctor!" She exclaimed brightly.

He scowled at her.

His head was pounding, no doubt that the consequences of drinking the night before making themselves known. Without a word in response, he lazily pushed himself off the couch and wandered into her kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water. It was cold enough to make his teeth hurt, but he ignored it in favor of trying to lessen the hangover.

He began rifling through her cabinets.

"The coffee's on the shelf in the fridge, if that's what you're looking for, but can you at least help me move Penguin before you start making it? My legs are starting to fall asleep."

He muttered something under his breath, but helped her anyway. Actually, he did all of the work. He lifted Penguin up and unceremoniously dropped him on the spot he'd occupied before. Penguin only mumbled in his sleep before settling back down. Nami raised a brow at that.

"He can sleep through just about anything."

She snorted in amusement.

Just as Law had started the coffee, Tashigi came stumbling out of the hallway, her head in her hands. When she looked up, Nami cast her a sympathetic smile. "You look worse for wear."

She grumbled in response and plopped down on the couch next to Nami, dropping her head onto her knees.

A small giggle passed Nami's lips as she pushed herself into the kitchen and began the process of making toast. Law gave her a questioning look from the other side of the breakfast counter. "I suppose you're tying the burnt toast remedy?"

The redhead nodded. "It usually works for Zoro and I so I'm hoping it helps Tashigi."

As soon as it was ready, she put the two slices on a plate, poured a glass of cold water, and handed the makeshift breakfast to the woman who smiled appreciatively. A few moments later, much to Nami's surprise, Zoro lazily made his way the couch and plopped down next to the other woman. Just as she suspected, he was fine; he hadn't had nearly enough to drink to cause any sort of discomfort, but the fact that he had actually _woken up early_ had caught her off guard.

"I'm taking her home as soon as she's feeling better." Zoro stated, taking a swig from the bottle of sake he'd brought from the room.

"At least wait until Sanji or Usopp wake up," Nami sighed. "Even with a GPS you _still_ manage to get lost."

He grumbled in response. Normally he would have blown up at her, but one look at Tashigi, who groaned into her hands at that moment, had him keeping it to himself. The girl had a big enough headache as it was.

"Can you at least get them off the table? You know Sanji's probably going to be up to make breakfast soon."

As if on cue, the blond man strode out of Nami's office, running a hand through his unkempt hair to straighten it out. He'd already lit a cigarette, much to Nami's displeasure, but he'd been holding off all last night. It couldn't hurt to let him have a couple. She'd just have to spray the house with air freshener later.

Instead of entering the kitchen, however, he seized his coat from the peg by the door where he'd left it the night before. "I can't cook breakfast this morning, Nami-san. I got a call from work. Seems like Rayleigh's out and Shakky's short handed."

"I can make breakfast then," Nami replied, waving her hand dismissively. "It won't taste the same, but it's better than Zoro or Luffy's cooking so it shouldn't be too bad."

He smiled at her then and hurried out the door.

She didn't exactly want to cook, but she resigned herself to it. Most of the others were going to wake up with hangovers and she was feeling oddly generous that morning.

Halfway through preparing the meal, Luffy had woken up, instantly making a grab for the plate of bacon beside her. She'd broken yet another spoon in her attempts to ward him off.

"Wait like everyone else!" She hissed. "And you owe me five hundred beli for a new spoon, and for the lock you broke last month!"

It was five hundred beli she was likely never going to see. He'd probably forget she even attempted to charge him by the time he was ready to eat.

She flipped one of the sausage patties, but in the middle of her attempt to put it on its other side, it slipped off the spatula and sent a spray of scalding oil onto her thigh. A loud hiss escaped her lips as she jumped back, dropping the utensil on the counter beside the stove. "Damn it," she cursed.

The dishcloth that had been sitting on the counter behind her was missing, though she quickly found it again when she felt a shockingly cold sensation on the burnt thigh. Law was holding it there, removing it periodically to check the burn. At first she'd been unsettled by how quickly he reacted, but she remember he was also a surgeon; he _had_ to react quickly most of the time. It was nothing more than his doctoral instincts kicking in.

The close proximity and his gentle touch had her heart rate increasing as she was assaulted with memories of what had happened last night. She wasn't sure why it was coming back then; she hadn't even thought about it when she'd woken up, but now here she was, in the middle of the kitchen with most of her friends awake - and she was almost certain she was blushing, if the burning in her cheeks was anything to go by.

She forced the thoughts away when he glanced up at her, his expression stoic and unconcerned. "It's going to be uncomfortable for a few hours, but nothing to be concerned with."

He stood then, tossing the cloth into the sink. "Just put aloe or something on it later."

Though he probably didn't deserve it, she couldn't help the fiery glare she sent him, hardening it when he only smirked in return.

He opened his mouth to say something, no doubt a sly remark, when Shachi emerged from the bathroom, his hat haphazardly thrown onto his head. He looked as if he was barely awake, and his foot caught the table, pulling a sharp curse from his lips as he stumbled to the breakfast bar.

"Welcome to the living," Penguin mused from his spot on the couch. He'd woken up a few moments prior. "Had enough beauty sleep?"

He was answered with a glare that rivaled Law's.

"Is Bepo awake yet?"

Shachi shook his head, instantly regretting the decision to do so as he brought a hand to his temple.

Law sighed and left the kitchen. A few moments later, the sound of the shower running and Bepo's surprised yelp filled the apartment. Penguin started laughing, throwing his head back in the process. "He is now."

Nami set the plates on the table. She wasn't about to serve everyone, so she'd let them take what they wanted. "One plate full, and Luffy, if I catch you trying to pile everything on your plate, you won't be getting _any_."

The younger man grumbled at that, but settled for taking as much as he could before Nami cut him off. As much as he was tempted to take more, he didn't feel like being whacked with another spoon, or worse the metal spatula.

Breakfast was surprisingly tame, but then again, considering the number of them who had hangovers, she really shouldn't have been all that surprised. Nonetheless, she was happy about it; at least she wouldn't be cleaning eggs and bacon grease off the walls once everyone left.

"Nami, you didn't make enough toast for Traffy." Luffy stated, noticing that everyone else had a piece aside from him. "That's rude."

"So is talking with your mouthful," she chided.

Law knit his brows. It seemed that Luffy had donned him with yet another nickname, much to his displeasure. As long as the others didn't pick up on it, he'd manage.

"I hate bread." He responded and took a bite of the strip of bacon in his hands. Nami wasn't as good as Sanji, but she was decent.

Zoro put his plate on the counter. "I'm taking the copy-cat home."

"You should have someon-"

"It's alright Nami. I'm driving." Tashigi interjected. "I would stay and help but..."

"It's fine. You always offer anyway. It's more than the others do." She smiled kindly at the young woman. "Go home and rest."

Tashigi returned the smile and ushered Zoro out the door. If the morning kept as it was, she was certain the day was going to be a good one.

* * *

><p>She'd been wrong.<p>

Glancing down at her phone, she understood why Zoro had left so early. Granted Tashigi's hangover may have been a part of his reasoning, but she knew it wasn't the most of it. The picture that had not coincidentally appeared in a text from him just fifteen minutes after he left spoke volumes of his decision; he didn't want to be there when she went off. She contemplated sending him the picture of him and Sanji, but she settled for more subtle threat.

_**If anyone else sees that picture, you're going to regret it**_**, **she'd texted back.

He never responded which she concluded meant two things; he thought she was bluffing, or he knew she wasn't.

And God she was _not_ bluffing.

"You look like you're in pain," Law pointed out as he glanced over her shoulder.

"Look at who I'm kissing," she muttered.

"I could be worse," he mused, turning away from her to retrieve the glass of water he'd just poured.

"How so?"

He turned to her, looking her straight in the eye, and without the slightest hint of amusement, he stated: "I could have spit on you."

She was truly grateful that he didn't.

The thought made her face twist in disgust. She would have killed him if he'd done that, especially considering the circumstances.

"When are you leaving?" She asked flatly. "Even Luffy left and he's usually the last one."

Law sighed. "As soon as Shachi wakes up again."

"I don't know how much to drink last night, but it screwed him up," Penguin added. "He started throwing up again after breakfast."

Nami shook her head. She made a mental note to monitor how much Shachi drank next time. "Does this happen often?"

"I wouldn't say often," Penguin replied, "but enough that we're not really concerned about it."

She hummed in response. "He doesn't handle alcohol well, does he?"

"Nope."

She giggled at that, not sure why she found it amusing, but she did. Maybe it reminded her of the first time Chopper tried to drink; he'd been laid out on her bathroom floor after three drinks swearing to the heavens he'd never drink again.

A phone rang then, drawing her attention to Penguin. He fished it out of his pocket and answered it quickly. "Law, you're not drunk, hungover, or impaired in anyway, are you?"

"Why?"

"They need you at the hospital." Penguin responded. "Apparently there's been a really bad accident on the freeway and there's not enough doctors on the floor to take care of it all."

An irate sigh escaped his lips. He was still hungover, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. "Bepo, go get Shachi."

"He'll be there in thirty minutes," Penguin said before hanging up. "I'll drop you off at the hospital before I take Bepo and Shachi home."

"And how am I supposed to get home?" Law asked as he tugged his coat on. "You'll have my car."

"I can take you guys home," Nami offered.

Normally she wouldn't have jumped in, but after her experience in the hospital, she understood how important it was for him to get to the hospital as soon as possible. That extra few minutes that he didn't spend trying to get everyone into the car might just be a few gained moments that could save someone's life.

"You do-"

"It's fine. You need to get to the hospital."

He tried to protest, but she pushed him out the door and shut it in his face before he could say anything else.

"Trying to get rid of him?" Penguin mused.

She smiled and shook her head. "Let's just say I learned the value of a few extra minutes."

Penguin gave her a knowing smile. "He told you about how close it was?"

She nodded, though the smile fell from her face. She tried not to dwell on the matter; it brought about unpleasant thoughts and the lingering fear that she might not be so lucky next time.

"He was worried you wouldn't make it," he said suddenly. "Even for a doctor as good as he is, the patient doesn't always survive."

Nami cast him a curious glance. "It happens. Sometimes a person's time has just come."

"Doesn't mean it's easy. It's his job to save lives, and when he can't, though he won't admit it, I'm sure he blames himself in the long run. He's always had a habit of doing that."

There was something in his voice that told her there was another meaning behind his words. There was something else he blamed himself for, something that didn't just pertain to the lives lost in the operating room. Whatever it was, it was probably the explanation for a lot of the questions she had regarding him. And it was an explanation she wasn't likely to receive anytime soon; he was not someone who willingly shared his past. Just getting him to explain a simple tattoo had been a struggle.

But it was something she could relate to given her own past. There were somethings that just weren't easy to talk about, or somethings that were better left unsaid.

"He's not an easy man to deal with, is he?"

Penguin shook his head. "We've known him for _years_ and he still hasn't told us everything, and I doubt he will. He's too stubborn on top of it all."

She could see that. Then again, most of the men she knew were extremely stubborn. It was irritating at times, but she knew how to deal with it. You just couldn't try to force your way in - you have to work around it, and push little by little, and when they were ready to, they'd give.

But for now, she decided to push the thoughts aside. There was no use dwelling on a matter that really wasn't any of her concern. "We can leave whenever you're ready."

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>I got stuck on this so if the end seems weird that's why. But mer.

Also I think this fic is making me have a need for Penguin Nami brotp.

In other news, I'm opening up fic requests on tumblr soon as soon as I get my guidelines page up. The link to my blog is on my profile.


	13. Chapter 13: Breaking and Entering

**Note:** I was actually going to put this chapter in sooner, but with the way the story was progressing, I figured now would be a good time, especially considering how she and Law are starting to open up to each other just a tab bit...and I really just needed to have Nami being a bad ass somewhere.

And I'm tempted to up the rating because of how violent this chapter ended up coming out...

Also look! Smoker made an appearance.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 13: Breaking and Entering<strong>_

She woke to the sound of her front door opening.

A loud groan escaped her lips as she reached for her phone to check the time. It was three thirty in the morning. She dropped her head onto the pillow. It's probably Luffy, again.

She'd almost fallen back asleep when a loud crash jolted her awake. He he'd gotten broken anything, she was going to throttle him. Exhaling an irate sigh, she threw her covers back and stormed to the door, unceremoniously throwing it open. "Luffy, I swear to God if you break something I'm going to-"

The words died on her tongue. Upon entering the living room, she found her apartment to be empty.

Her brows drew low over her eyes as she ventured into the main room, glancing around before her gaze locked onto the shattered urn. The ashes that had been inside, her mother's ashes were scattered about the floor. There were foot prints in the pile, and places where it looked as if the fine substance had been moved through the act of walking. She wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or infuriated.

The creaking of hinges drew her attention to the front door. It was still open, swinging slowly as the wind pushed it.

Her initial suspicion was shot to shreds. Luffy may be dense, but he knew what was in the urn, and he would have been screaming his apology from the safest place he could if he'd been there. And as much of a heathen as she somethings thought he was, he wouldn't have left the door open.

This was not his doing.

A wave of panic fell over her then. She was alone in her house, or rather she wasn't alone, in the dark with no telling who or whether they were armed or not.

There was shuffling behind her, but before she could turn around, a hand gripped her shoulder roughly. A surprised shriek escaped her lips as the grip tightened, jagged and unkempt nails digging into the exposed flesh of her upper arm. She struggled in the grasp, desperately trying to tear her arm free. When she found that such a thing was not possible, as the pressure on her arm was enough to push her to believe it was going to break, she turned sharply, balling her hand into a tight fist before driving straight into the attackers jaw.

The force of the impact was enough to force them to loosen their grip. She took the opportunity to rip her arm from his grasp, ignoring the aching in her knuckles. As custom to hitting her friends as she was, she never hit them as hard as she could. Even when fending off some of the creepy and persistent drunks at the bar, she didn't sing that hard. She'd be surprised if she didn't break her hand then.

But her hand was of no concern at that moment. She was more focused on getting as far away from the offender as she could.

They made another grab for her, but she ducked out of the way and darted for the kitchen.

She was not in favor of fighting, despite her seemingly violent nature, but at that point she couldn't care less. She felt endangered, and she was driven by nothing short of pure instinct to defend herself, even if it meant doing things she wouldn't normally consider. There wasn't even a shred of hesitance as her fingers closed around the Chef's Knife in the rack behind her.

But it was more than instinct driving her as well - she'd been in a similar situation when she was younger.

"It's not nice to point things like that as people."

Her hands were shaking as she gripped the handle of the knife tightly. She was terrified - completely and utterly terrified.

A myriad of images assaulted her mind then, ones that nearly pushed her to lose her resolve. She nearly dropped the knife.

"Stay away from me," she hissed. She surprised herself with how harsh it came out; she'd expected her voice to waver, but it didn't.

They took another step towards her, and she took one back. The sharp edge of the counter pressed into her back. She was cornered.

"A pretty woman shouldn't be holding something so dangerous," he drawled. "I just want to talk."

Her gaze hardened. He took another step towards her, reaching out. Faster than she'd ever thought possible, she swung the knife, grimacing as it cut through the flesh of his hand. He screamed out in pain, and for a split second, she caught the look in his eyes; it was nothing but unrestrained rage and murderous intent. He reached for her again, and she threw herself sideways in a desperate attempt to climb onto the counter and jump over the breakfast bar, but just as she had gotten a foot onto the granite surface he seized her by her hair and pulled her back down.

When his good hand clamped over her right wrist in an attempt to force her to drop the weapon, she quickly passed it to her left hand. The grip was awkward as she wasn't accustomed to holding most things with that hand, but it stayed tight in her grasp.

"You shouldn't have done that," he hissed in her ear. "I had no intentions of killing you at first, but you pissed me off. All I wanted was the money in the safe."

"Like hell I'm gonna let you have that," she snapped.

He twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her into the cabinet. The impact was enough to break her nose. Tear stung her eyes, an immediate reaction to the impact, and a bout of blood sprang from her nose.

The way her body shook was worthy of the tremors of an earthquake. She couldn't move; the fear had frozen her, and it gripped her heart in a tight vice, threatening to squeeze the life from her. Her mind was blank aside from one very real and frightening though; she was going to die.

Another montage of images flashed before her then. The one that really struck her, however, was the look on her mother's face right before she died. The steely look, the frown, the way she had her arms crossed over her chest; everything that claimed she was prepared to give up her life for them - for her and her sister. She wasn't even their true mother and she had so selfishly given her life for them.

And if she died there, that sacrifice would have been in vain.

Mustering every ounce of strength she had, she shoved her left arm back, driving the knife into his body.

Where the blow had landed, she wasn't sure, but the shock of the sudden attack caused him to loosen his grip and she bolted forward, scrambling over the counter as she made a desperate dash towards her room. Even as she slammed the door closed and pulled the chair from her vanity in front of it, she could hear him screaming.

Just as she scrambled for her phone, she heard the front door being kicked open and the unmistakable kick of a gun.

She inched closer to the door, resting an ear against it to hear what was taking place.

"You're under arrest."

Tears were building up in the corners of her eyes again, this time from nothing more than pure relief. She swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. The handle of her room door jiggled and she stiffened.

"Nami?"

It was Tashigi.

In an instant, she tore the chair away and threw the door open. The woman on the other side raised her brows, no doubt startled by her disheveled appearance. "Thank god you're alright..."

She wasn't alright, by any stretch of the means, but she knew what the woman had truly meant; thank god you're alive.

A few moments later, the captain's superior was standing behind her. He took in her appearance and grimaced. "Tashigi, help her to the ambulance. I'll take care of the other guy."

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><p>The paramedics had tried to convince her to go in on the stretcher, but she refused. She was able to walk so she did; she didn't even need to be in the ambulance anyway.<p>

"What happened?" Penguin asked once she was inside.

She motioned to the stretcher as it passed. "He broke into my appartment."

His brows raised when he caught sight of the blood seeping through the bandage on his side. "And why are you not on a stretcher?"

"They only put me in the ambulance because I was going to the same place it was." She replied. "All they did to me was check for a concussion and stop my nose from bleeding."

"Considering they aren't concerned about getting you into the operating room, I'm guessing they deemed you fine enough to let you walk in?"

She shrugged. "They tried telling me it was protocol for me to be on the stretcher, but I told them I didn't want to be on it. They just want me looked at to make sure there's no other major problems."

He shook his head. "At least you aren't in any dire condition. You look fine enough to me, but I can't really assess that. Law will have to do that."

As if on cue, he came around the corner, stopping the second he spotted her. His brows knit as he took in her appearance. There were bruises on her face, namely around her nose and a spot on her forehead that she hadn't realized had been bleeding until she was in the ambulance. He glanced down at her hand. It was swollen and bruised as well.

"I'm guessing the man that was just rushed into the OR was you're doing?"

She nodded.

"Penguin, go find Shachi and have him bring me her chart."

Law motioned for her to follow him. He lead her to a room at the end of the hall, one she recognized as an outpatient room, and ordered her to sit down on the bed.

"What the hell happened?"

"He broke into my house," she started choosing her words carefully, "and tried to kill me."

"And you stabbed him?"

She pressed her lips into a line. In all honesty, she was still quite shaken. The ordeal had brought about memories she'd pushed down, and feelings could gladly throw away because of how painful they were.

Nami nodded slowly. "It wasn't my original intentions...but he left me with no choice."

He took in the sight of her carefully. She was upset, that much was obvious, but he saw a look in her eyes that made him uncomfortable; it was the same hollow look he had in his eyes when something triggered him into remembering the things that had happened to him as a child. It was a broken stare, one that spoke volumes of what had transpired.

She was traumatized.

He sighed and sat on the bed next to her. "There's something you're not telling me."

"That's what happened."

"You're lying." He said bluntly. "I'm not an idiot, Nami-ya. I can tell there's something wrong."

"I almost got killed!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Did you really think I'd be okay after that?!"

"You almost got killed during the accident, and you're reacting differently this time."

She glared at him. "Because I didn't realize how close to dying I was at the time!"

"No. It's because this event triggered something."

She froze as the words left his lips.

"I don't like prying," he continued, "but we're not in the bar or at your house. We're in the hospital and as a doctor, I need to know exactly what happened."

She grit her teeth. As much as she hated it, she knew he was right. She was there to get help, mostly for her physical wounds, but as shaken as she was, she knew she there was no way she was going to escape from this unscathed.

"I thought of my mother," she began slowly. "That's how she died. When I was eight someone broke into the house and demanded a certain amount of money. Mom only had enough for my sister and I. When she told him that she didn't have enough to cover herself, he killed her. And that's what that man was after; my money."

She took a deep breath and pushed on. "I didn't intend to stab him, but I felt threatened. When he said he was going to kill me, I remembered my mother and the fact that she'd died for my sister and I. If...if I died there, then that sacrifice would have been for nothing."

He drew in a breath, unsure how to respond to the confession. He didn't think she would actually open up this much, but she had. "That's a natural reaction. You were in a situation where it was kill or be killed."

"The thing is, I was terrified. I almost didn't do anything."

"But you did, and that saved your life," he shrugged. "Do you regret it?"

"No." Her tone was hard as steel.

"You're unexpectedly strong, Nami-ya." He mused. "Most people would have broken down by now, but you're holding out considerably well."

"For the time being." She mumbled.

A few moments later, Shachi appeared with the chart. His eyes widened at the sight of her, but before he could question her, Law shook his head.

"Go help Penguin," Law ordered.

Shachi disappeared from the door with a grumble.

"Physically, you're fine, aside from your hand, which I'm going to have x-rayed," Law stated as she looked over the cut on her forehead. "You obviously don't have a head injury, considering you walked in off the ambulance and through the discussion I haven't seen signs of any. Mentally, on the other hand..."

"I'll deal with it," she responded. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

He snorted and stood up then, and left without a word.

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><p><strong>Note:<strong> This chapter's considerably shorter because I got stuck at the end but whatever.


	14. Chapter 14: Down the Drain

**Note: **There's a poll on my profile. I'm working on two other LawNa AUs and I'm not sure which one to post, so go vote for which one you think sounds coolest :D

Also I have no idea where this was going but it kinda just went that way and oops.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 14: Down the Drain<strong>_

"I still can't believe you _stabbed_ a man." Vivi sighed. "Well, that's not entirely true. I can see you doing it if you had to, but the fact that you _had_ to is unsettling."

Nami nodded. She took a sip of her coffee before shifting the phone to her other ear. "Imagine how I feel."

"Well at least you're okay," the other woman said.

She wasn't exactly okay, but she kept it to her self. There was no sense in worrying Vivi; the woman had enough to deal with as it was.

"What exactly was he looking for?"

"The money in my safe," Nami sighed. "I'm not sure how he knew about it, but he did. There's a good chance Luffy probably blabbed off about it, but I don't want to point any fingers."

Vivi hummed. "It's a possibility. He isn't always the greatest at keeping quiet about things."

"It honestly wouldn't surprise me one bit."

There was a pause, then Vivi spoke again.

"Nami, I have great news." There was a twinge of excitement in her tone and Nami couldn't help but raise her brows.

"What is it?"

She paused for a moment. "I found out about it a few weeks ago, but I wanted to make sure I was certain before I told anyone aside from Kohza. Nami, I'm pregnant."

Nami couldn't contain the elated squeal that escaped her lips. She felt bad afterwards, she'd scared the woman behind the counter, but she was too excited to care. "Really!?"

Vivi laughed on the other end of the line. "The doctors are surprised. They kept telling me I wasn't going to be able to have kids after the car accident Senior year, but low and behold, I'm five weeks pregnant now."

"That's amazing! Have you thought about names yet?"

"Not yet. They say there's a possibility of a miscarriage and that I shouldn't get too excited because there's no telling what could happen, but I just can't help it. You know I've always wanted to be a mother!"

Nami could almost see her bouncing in elation. "Doctors can be wrong at times, you may very well pull through with it."

"That's what I'm hoping. Dad's super excited as well." Vivi giggled. "He's been dancing around the house for the past three hours singing 'I'm going to be a grandfather' at the top of his lungs."

Nami rolled her eyes. It wasn't hard to picture him doing such a thing.

"I wish I could talk more, but there's a business meeting that Dad wants me to attend, so I have to go get ready. I'll call you after it's over."

"Alright. I've got work to do anyway. My meteorology professor put up an assignment today. It's a twenty page paper on top of seven chapter's worth of notes."

Vivi groaned. "Hearing that makes me glad I didn't go to college. But I really have to go now. Bye!"

Nami tossed her phone onto the table and groaned. The mention of her school work had taken away all of her early excitement and replaced it with a sense of dread. She was going to be dead by the end of this semester.

"The joys of college, huh?"

Robin slipped into the booth a cup of hot chocolate and a small cake in her hand. She smiled sympathetically.

"Just be thankful you're graduating this semester. I have another three years to go."

The older woman chuckled. "At least you're doing better than most. Didn't half your class drop out already?"

"Yeah, but I can't afford to drop out. I can't afford anything right now, really." She muttered.

"Have you considered a job?"

"I don't have the time."

Robin hummed and took another sip of her coffee. "I think you might need to take a break. A lot's happened recently and you're stressed. It's really starting to show, Nami."

She had a point. The past two months had been nothing but hell on her, and the most recent incident had her thinking that maybe she _should_ take a break.

"It's been a while since you've been on a date," Robin began slowly, "maybe at least one might take your mind off things?"

"Right," Nami scoffed. "You know how well my dates go over; if the boys don't scare him off, I end up doing it."

"Then maybe you should find someone who won't be scared off," the other woman replied as if it were the simplest thing.

Nami glared at her. "I know what you're pushing for. I am not going on a _date_ with _him_ "

Robin raised a curious brow. "I never said it had to be Trafalgar."

She'd walked right into that. With an exasperated sigh, she dropped her head onto the table.

"You two would look cute together, though," the older woman teased. "And you both seemed to be getting along pretty well at the rink."

Nami refused to look up. She knew what look the other woman was giving her; and it was irritating her.

"It was just a suggestion. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but I think it would be good for you."

Nami lifted her head then, reaching for the pen laying on the table. She absentmindedly flipped it between her fingers, mulling over Robin's suggestion. It wouldn't be a date though; she didn't view anyone in that light. But a break from not only her life as well as her friends would be appreciated.

"I don't think a date would work, but maybe just an outing." She said finally.

"Whatever works for you," the other woman replied, "but if you're going to ask who I think you're going to ask, just know there's a possibility they may drag him along as well."

She thought was much as well. The four of them were inseparable after all - the only time she'd ever seen them apart was when she ran into Shachi at the gas station a couple weeks back.

"I know, I know," she waved her hand dismissively. "It's just you know how our group gets. At least from what I can see, they're a little bit tamer, not by much, but still."

"It's up to you in the end," Robin affirmed. "If you want to, then I'm sure Franky and I could try to keep the boys from asking too many questions or trying to find you."

"That's assuming they aren't all working this weekend." Then a huge smile spread her lips. "Oh did Vivi tell you?"

Robin tilted her head, raising a brow curiously. "Tell me what?"

"She's pregnant."

"I thought she said she wouldn't be able to have kids." The woman hummed, though the look in her eyes told Nami she was just as happy as she was.

"So did I, but apparently she's already five weeks pregnant and the doctors are just as confused."

"Some people do have a tendency to fight the odds, and Vivi has proven that several times." Robin took a bite of her cake, chewing it thoughtfully. "It's strange to think how old we've gotten. Vivi's married and pregnant, Franky and I are talking about marriage after this lawsuit passes over. You're in college, Sanji has an interview the the head chef of the cruise line he wants to work for."

Nami shook her head. It really was odd to think. She was already twenty two and it seemed that just yesterday she was still in her Senior year. Now, she was really beginning to understand the saying 'life's too short'. It really was. She felt like she'd wake up tomorrow morning and she'd be thirty.

The thought was unsettling.

"That's what happens when you grow up," she sighed, "although some people don't seem to grow up."

Robin chuckled at that, knowing she was referring to Luffy. "True. But I should be leaving. I have a meeting with my attorney in an hour and they want me there early to fill out some extra paperwork. Let me know how the outing goes."

With that, Robin stood and exited the cafe.

A sigh pulled itself from Nami's lips as she reached for her phone and skimmed through her contacts.

"Penguin?" She asked once he had picked up the call. "What are you doing guys doing tonight?"

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><p>She was already beginning to feel the stress melt away.<p>

The four of them were settled in the usual booth at Rayleigh's, and against their proclamations following the party, all of them were drunk, though not too much so, as Nami was keeping a careful eye on their intake. The last thing she needed was another repeat of New Years.

"There was this one time Shachi got his head stuck in a cookie jar. You know those really big plastic ones?" Penguin said vibrantly, motioning with his hands to show the size of the container. "We tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. I don't even know how he managed to get it on in the first place."

Beside him, Shachi was glaring in obvious discomfort, no doubt embarrassed by the fact Penguin had chosen to bring the story up. The sight made Nami giggle.

"And finally Law came home, and just walked straight into the kitchen and came back with a knife. I thought Shachi was going to shit himself when Law stabbed the container and started cutting it off."

"You try having _him_ come at you with a knife in his hand and see how well you take it!" Shachi defended, slamming his glass onto the bar. "You saw the look in his eyes! I thought he was going to cut my head off!"

Penguin only laughed harder, holding his sides as tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. Bepo had been laughing the entire time, but he dropped his head onto the table, nearly in hysterics.

"At least I didn't get myself handcuffed to the light post in my front yard!"

"You were the one who did it! And then Bepo just _had_ to break out the paintball gun."

"I thought we were going to die that day," Shachi shuddered then. When he took note of Nami's curious gaze, he explained in detail. "We were messing around at Penguin's house a few weeks ago, and Bepo had found this pair of handcuffs. Like real handcuffs. The kind cops use. And I thought it would be funny to to handcuff him to the light post. We were going to uncuff him a few minutes later, but we lost the key."

It was Penguin's turn to glare. "And Bepo decided it would be a good idea to use me was _target_ practice."

"But, yeah. Then Law showed up and he found the key, but Bepo was having too much fun. He tried to hit me with a paintball, but I ducked and he ended up hitting Law in the forehead."

Nami burst out in a fit of laughter right then. She could almost picture the look on his face; the blank, shocked stare he'd get whenever someone did something to embarrass him.

"I still can't believe we made it out of that alive." Shachi shook his head. "Bepo ended up hitting his car too! And that thing is brand new!"

She could understand why he'd be so angry about it. His car was not cheap, quite the opposite in fact. What the actual price was, she wasn't sure, but she knew it was well out of her range. Then again, he was a doctor, and his two of his paychecks were likely twice her loan money; he could easily afford a luxury car.

"Well you're alive, so that's a good thing," Nami mused. "He couldn't have been _too _mad."

"He chased Bepo down with a scalpel."

At first, she had trouble imagining him doing anything along those lines, but she'd also noticed, especially during the New Years party, that he was considerably more comfortable around his friends than he was hers. Maybe it wasn't such a far fetched idea that he'd do such a thing.

"I'm surprised he didn't come," she said after a moment. "He's usually always with you guys."

Penguin shrugged. "He got called in again. It's kind of hard to keep in touch with him now that his phone's broken, but he knows we're here. So there's a chance he might stop by after work if he's not too tired."

She hummed in response and downed the last of her scotch. "Well, whatever. Things happen."

A smile spread her lips then as she pulled a deck of cards from her pocket. "Who wants to play poker?"

* * *

><p>Between the lack of sleep and being overworked, one could easily assess that Law was not happy by any sort of the meaning. Even the nurses, who usually remained unaffected by his bouts of moodiness had been keeping their distance. The <em>only<em> thing that served to put his spirits just a touch higher was the fact that his shift had finally ended. He was more than happy to be out of that hell.

Sometimes he enjoyed being a doctor, but other times, he hated it. He hated dealing with the people most of all, namely the ones who tried to tell him how to do his job - and he had had a fair share of those today. He made mistakes, as did everyone else, and he would admit to it if the time came, but some people were hell bent on trying to look as if they knew more than he did. Which they didn't; he hadn't spent years in medical school to come out uneducated.

In his silent rage, he had failed to notice where he was going until he found himself pulling into the parking lot of Rayleigh's. In fact, he recently found himself showing up in the bar more often than he liked. What was driving him to do such, he wasn't sure, though he concluded it was likely the stress of work and the constant need for a drink to keep him relatively sane.

In the back of his mind, there was a chiding voice that told him he _knew_ that wasn't the only reason, but he brushed it off.

The heat of the bar was a welcome relief from the chilled night air, though he could gladly do without the noise. It was considerably busy tonight, as nearly every booth was filled, and most of the bar seats had been taken as well.

Rayleigh wasn't working that night considering that Shakky was behind the bar. He made a mental note to watch how much he ordered; the woman had a habit of raising the prices when she worked.

Upon noticing him, Shakky smiled and motioned towards the booth in the back, indicating where his usual group was. Not that she needed too; he could hear them plainly, namely Shachi who sounded almost distressed. As he ventured further into the bar, picking his way through the crowds of people with ease, he understood why.

Both Shachi and Penguin had been stripped down to their underwear.

In front of them, fully clothed with a pile of money sitting beside her, Nami carelessly shuffled through the cards in her hand. He couldn't say he was surprised; he remembered her mentioning that Zoro, according to her, called it 'one sided annihilation', and he could see why. She hadn't even taken her coat off.

"I give up," Penguin sighed, tossing his hand onto the table in an attempt to keep his dignity before Nami ended up with his last article of clothing. Shachi followed in suit, shaking his head in disbelief.

An elated giggle escaped her lips as she collected the rest of the money and tucked the massive pile safely in her purse.

He was tempted to make a comment, but the growing headache and wave of annoyance that settled over him deterred him from such as he unceremoniously dropped himself into the booth beside Shachi, effectively startling the man.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Shachi exclaimed, despite being used to how often Law tended to appear out of the blue.

"Stop what?" Law grumbled. "Breathing?"

"Hard day at work?" Penguin asked, sliding him the unopened bottle of rum beside him. Law needed it more than he did.

The only response he got was a low growl as Law opened the bottle and took a long drink. "After today," he said, wincing as the burning sensation caught up with him, "I'm thoroughly convinced that acrylic nails should be illegal."

He held up his arm then, pulling the sleeve of his jacket back to reveal several long jagged cuts on his forearm.

Nami knit her brows at the injury. "How'd that happen?"

He glanced at her, then at his friends who were rolling their eyes; they knew exactly what had happened.

"We had a patient come in after having a severe seizure, and his wife was less than thrilled to let us treat him." Law took another long drink from the bottle before setting it down again, his face twisting with annoyance. "Needless to say, she had to be removed from the room and I couldn't wait for security to get there."

Upon noticing her confusion, he continued. "I had to pick her up because she kept pulling her arm away from me, and she was not happy about that. She ended up digging her fucking fake nails into my arm."

_So he's an angry drunk? _Nami concluded, taking in the expression that overtook his face. _Or he was already in a terrible mood before he got here._

"I almost hung her over the damned railing."

"Well it's over and done with," Nami cut in breezily, waving her hand dismissively in an attempt to calm him down. She'd noticed that the second he started ranting, the others had shifted closer to her in their attempts to give him room. It seemed even _they_ were wary of him when he was like this.

He sent her a scathing glare, but she brushed it off. Years of dealing with Zoro made her practically immune to the action.

Shachi went to reach for the bottle to refill his drink, but Nami took it from him. "You've had enough."

"I'm fine!" He protested.

All of them turned to give him an incredulous look, even Law had broken out of his silent fuming to do such.

Shachi relented, sinking back into his seat with a defeated look.

"You're so drunk right now you didn't even bother to put your clothes back on," Penguin pointed out.

That much was true. During Law's tirade, Penguin had taken to redressing himself while Shachi had completely forgotten about his lack of dress.

"I don't even know where they are," he grumbled, leaning under the table to see if he had discarded them there. Unfortunately they weren't in sight.

"Penguin, go help the idiot find his clothes," Law grumbled, reaching up to rub his temple. He was _not_ in the mood for this tonight. "And figure out where Bepo went."

"Wait Bepo's not here?" Penguin looked up, knitting his brows as the sudden realization hit him. Bepo, was in fact missing.

Law let out an irate sigh as the two men slipped from the booth.

Nami gave him a sympathetic look. "Maybe you should just go home and sleep?"

He ignored the suggestion and chugged the rest of the rum. Sleep was eluding him again, though that in itself wasn't anything uncommon. Not two seconds later, he was reaching for another bottle.

That in itself served as a red flag. She'd drank with him on several occasions, and the only time he reached for a bottle so quickly after finishing one was during the drinking contest he'd beaten her in. Usually his drinks were well spaced, and he drank at a considerate pace. He wasn't drinking for fun tonight - the look on his face told her as much. There was definitely something _wrong, _and she doubted what had transpired at work had anything to do with it.

Just as she was reaching to take the bottle from him, Shachi appeared, fully clothed, and looking a bit concerned. "Bepo's sick. We found him throwing up in the bathroom and he's running a fever."

"That's why I told him to stay home today," Law grumbled, placing the bottle back to his lips.

"We were going to take him home," Shachi cast a concerned sideways glance at Law, noting how quickly he was going through the bottle, "but I forgot that you came to pick us up." He turned his attention to Nami.

"I'll drive you home," Law waved his hand dismissively and took a long drink.

"No." Nami said firmly. She reached for her purse and dug her keys out. "Penguin's the more sober of you two, so give him my keys and take Bepo home."

"And you?"

"I'll take care of him," she nodded towards Law, who scowled.

"I'm fine, Nami-ya."

She turned her steely gaze on him. "You are not, by any stretch of the means."

"You're not driving my car." He growled.

"Law, please just let her take you home," Shachi pleaded. "You _know_ you're in no condition to drive. You should have just gone straight home if your that _worked up_."

"N-"

"This isn't debatable." Nami cut in. "Besides, I have your car keys, so you aren't going anywhere."

He was even more irritated than he was when he'd arrived, no doubt a reaction caused by the alcohol.

"When the fuck did you get my car keys?"

She didn't bother to answer him.

Shachi leaned down and looked him dead in the eyes. "You were drinking before you got here, weren't you?"

"I wa-"

"I could see it on your face Law," Shachi sighed, "you smuggled a bottle into the break room again, didn't you?"

Law didn't respond. He turned his gaze away and took another sip, pissed that Shachi had figured it out.

"Does he always do that?" Nami asked, her voice low as she was hoping Law wouldn't hear her.

"Only when he's emotionally compromised. He usually acts the opposite of this when he's drunk. Something probably triggered hi-" Shachi stopped, realizing he might have been giving out a bit more information that he should have, but Nami had caught on.

"Go take Bepo home." She stated louder. "I'll call you after I drop him off."

Shachi nodded and left just as quickly as he appeared.

"You're no-"

Nami stepped out of the booth and hauled him to his feet with a surprising amount of strength.

The world seemed to turn beneath him and he staggered dangerously, but Nami kept him upright. "You are not, alright." She muttered as she led him away from the booth. She turned to the woman behind the counter. "Shakky, just put everything on Sanji's tab!"

"It's on the house," she called back, giving Nami a sympathetic look. Nami smiled in return.

"Even Luffy would be able to tell you're not alright." She stated as she shouldered her way through the door.

"I can walk on my own, Nami -ya."

"You can't even stand," she scoffed as she hit the button on the keys to unlock the car. "Just shut up and admit you're not alright, already."

She helped him into the car, despite his protests and closed the door on him. Once she was inside on her side, she adjusted the driver's seat. He was silent now, staring out the window of the car as the engine roared to life.

He _wasn't_ alright. He knew damn well he wasn't, but it was none of her business whether he was or not.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>I don't know, I just wanted more of Nami driving Law home. Like wow this chapter came out really long and I actually had to cut it off there or else it was going to be like a 8 thousand word chapter oops.

That and I've noticed that when people are tired/hungry/upset they tend to get drunk faster so yeah imagine how Law feels being all three of them lol


	15. Chapter 15: Just a Little Bit

**Note: **I forgot to mention that everyone's two years older in this AU than they are in the current manga timeline.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 15: Just a Little Bit<strong>_

Getting him out of the car proved to be more difficult than getting him in.

He wasn't protesting, much to her surprise, but the fact that he was struggling to keep himself upright without swaying was making the task much more difficult - it probably would have been easier if he _was_ fighting back. Despite the situation, she was finding it hard not to become annoyed. If only she could throw him over her shoulder, but she wasn't strong enough, and considering how much taller he was, even if she managed to lift him up, carrying him would be awkward.

"You could help me here, you know," she huffed as she grabbed his legs and turned him to make it easier to drag him out.

With a huff, he reached up and grabbed the bar the top of the car and pulled himself forward, nearly falling on top of Nami in the process, but she caught his arm in time. With that ordeal over with, she closed the door with the heel of her shoe and guided him to the front porch. He made an attempt to sit in one of the chairs, but she pulled him away. "If you sit down now," she said as she rifled through the keys before finding the one that looked as if it fit the lock, "it'll take another five minutes to get you up again."

He grumbled but complied.

She inserted the key into the lock and pushed the door open. Darkness greeted her and before she could stop him, in fear that he was trying to escape her grasp, Law reached out and flipped switch. Once the room was illuminated, she couldn't help but raise her brows. If she thought the outside of the house had looked expensive, she was stunned by the inside. But now was not the time to marvel at the interior design. Law was trying to push away from her now, but she kept her grip.

"Damn woman," he grumbled. "My room's down the hall and to the left."

A small sigh escaped her lips. He just couldn't let her drop him off on the couch, could he.

She led him towards his room, nudging his door open with her foot. She took a step inside, but her foot caught on something, and she nearly tripped.

"I probably should have mentioned my room is a mess," he slurred as he turned the light on.

He was using the word _mess_ lightly.

There were books scattered everywhere. She instantly recognized them as medical texts, though there were a few novels mixed in here and there. "Please tell me you haven't read _all _of these she said in disbelief." Not even Robin had that many books.

"Not all of them," he responded with a lazy shrug, "there's like two or three I haven't finished yet. Most of them are old, back from when I was still doing my dissertation."

"How old are you, anyway?" Nami asked, realizing she didn't know the answer to such a simple question. She didn't even bother to look the one time she'd stolen his wallet.

"Twenty-eight," he grumbled.

"And you're already a surgeon?"

He nodded, feeling the world spin a bit as she guided him to towards his bed. Only then did she let go of him, allowing him to fall unceremoniously onto the mattress.

"I graduated high school early." He responded. "I actually jumped a couple grades, and got an early admission into college. I ended up graduating that early as well. I just finished my residency last year. It also helps that I grew up with a doctor, so I knew quite a bit before I even got into medical school."

She had to admit she was impressed.

She knew it took brains to be a doctor, especially a surgeon, but she didn't think he was _that_ intelligent. She was extremely intelligent herself, but she was still struggling through college. Granted, if it really came down to it, she probably could have pulled off what he had, but she had no desire to do such. She would always be happy she graduated with her friends.

"You said your father was a doctor right?"

A pained look crossed his face then, and he scowled. "Yeah...He was the best doctor I'd ever seen."

She was treading into dangerous waters here, but she felt the need to say it. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol in her system or the look on his face that pushed her to even think of the thought, but she knew first hand that he was in fact a marvelous doctor - she wouldn't be standing there if he wasn't. "I bet he'd be proud of you."

He reacted much like she suspected he would. His body stiffened immediately, the scowl slackening into a look that crossed between shock and wistfulness. He probably thought of it from time to time, she suspected, but she doubted anyone had said it to him, or maybe they had. She didn't know if anyone in the hospital he worked for knew his father, and she certainly didn't, but it seemed like the right thing to say then.

"Maybe..." His voice was strained. He let out a long sigh and draped his arm over his eyes.

Then he thoroughly shocked her.

"They, my parents and my little sister, died when I was ten."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. Her first reaction was to ask why he was telling her such a thing, but she kept her lips closed; the last thing she wanted was to show him she didn't care. Not thinking too much into her actions, she moved to sit on the edge of the bed, causing him to glance at her from beneath his arms. She didn't push for an explanation.

"It happened similar to how your mother died, actually," His words were slow and slurred. He paused for a moment, as if debating how to continue, but after a moment, he pushed on. "Someone, or rather a couple people, broke in and killed my parents. My sister and I were hiding in my room, but I ran downstairs when I heard gunshots."

His voice was shaking now. She knew it wasn't easy to talk about these things; if it hadn't been for his insistence at the hospital, she never would have opened up, but she couldn't deny the fact that she also felt a bit relieved about it. It felt like she'd gotten something off her chest. Maybe he was trying to do the same.

"They set the house on fire." He paused again. "By the time I had gotten back upstairs to get to my sister, the entire upper level was on fire. She couldn't get out.."

He had to stop then. She didn't blame him through, just watching the way he bit into his bottom lip as he fought to keep his composure was enough to tell her how he felt about the matter.

"There was a girl who came in today. She'd been in a house fire..." He paused for a moment, then added so softly, she wasn't sure she heard him at first. "She looked like my sister..."

She wasn't sure what to say, there really wasn't anything _to _say.

It wasn't until his fingers twitched, wrapping around hers, that she realized she'd put her hand over his. Most people wouldn't have considered much of it, but it this was Law. It was the most intimate thing she'd ever heard of him doing to someone who wasn't his friends. Though she doubted intimacy was his intentions; it was more a of gesture, most likely one of thanks. After all, she had no obligation to listen to him; hell, she had no obligation to drive him home, but she did.

They stayed like that until Nami glanced at her clock. It was close to two in the morning. She told Shachi she'd call once she was ready to be picked up, and if she waited any longer, there was a good chance he'd fall asleep on her. She reached for her bra, only to remember she'd left her phone in the car.

A sigh tore itself from her lips as she turned to look back at Law. He hadn't moved since he stopped talking, however long ago that was. His breathing was slow and even, a clear indication that he was a sleep. She cast him a sympathetic look. He had to have been exhausted to fall asleep that quickly. But just as she stood, ready to make her way back to his car to retrieve her cell, his grip tightened.

He said nothing, but upon glancing back, she saw one thing in his gaze; _don't leave_.

She understood the feeling. There were times where she was so overwhelmed and weighed down by unpleasant thoughts that she'd rather not be alone, and she didn't doubt that's what he was feeling at the moment. However, she was not expecting what he did next.

His grip tightened even more, and he pulled her down. She let out a startled shriek as she hit the mattress, landing face first in his pillow in the most undignified way she could manage.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She hissed, lifting her head to glare at him.

Any trace of conflict he had show earlier was gone now, replaced by one of his infamous smirks.

"Don't look at me like that," she said warningly.

He raised a brow at that. "And if I don't?"

She smacked his chest and shifted away from him, but before she could slip off the bed, he grabbed her waist and pulled her against him. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she squirmed in his grasp. "I did _not_ bring you here so you could try to cozy up with me."

He snorted at that. "And yet, you could have just left me at the bar or left me as soon as we got inside, but you carted me back here and stayed even though you didn't have to."

She was about to hit him again when his expression changed. He looked conflicted for a moment, but it passed; he smirked at her again, tightening his grip as she tried to wiggle out of it again. And here she thought he was going to thank her.

"You did it for me," she responded. "I was just returning the favor."

"And yet, considering your temper," he drawled, "if that was _all,_ you would have beaten me with a text book by now."

She narrowed her gaze at him. "Just what are you implying?"

"Who knows?" He mused and removed his arm in favor of putting it behind his head.

"You were the one who pulled me into your bed," she grumbled.

His smirk only broadened. "And yet, even after I let go of you, you're still here. What? Did you suddenly have a change of heart after New Years?"

She seized the pillow from beneath her and swung it at him. "You insufferable, arrogant, conniving, asshole," she hissed between swings. He caught the pillow at the last comment and tore it out of her grasp.

"I'm the conniving one and yet you managed to con Shachi and Penguin out of every cent they had. And don't tell me you weren't cheating because I saw you hiding those cards in your jacket sleeve." His hand was at her waist again, brows raised as he took in the annoyed look on her face.

She'd gotten caught.

"I didn't even need to cheat, they're that bad." She huffed.

"I did warn you," he replied. "Although, I can see where Zoro-ya was coming from."

She flashed him a devious smile. "There hasn't been a person yet who's beaten me!"

He gave her a skeptical look and pulled her closer. "That's what they said about the drinking match, and I clearly remember winning that."

She rolled her eyes, trying not to focus on how touchy he was being. It wasn't exactly unwanted, but it wasn't something she was used to either. "I bet the result won't be the same next time," she jabbed in in the chest.

He shifted then, turning so that he was lying on his side facing her. Their proximity had her heart skipping a beat as the memory of the New Year's party assaulted her mind. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she felt her cheeks growing hot. She wiggled uncomfortably and shut her eyes, trying to push the image away. Now was not the time to be thinking about that.

But despite how hard she tried, she couldn't push it from her mind. Not when he was inches from her face, smirking as he was.

She did not need to be thinking about how soft and warm his lips had been.

She was just drunk, albeit not as much as he was, but there was enough alcohol in her system to alter her train of thought; and that's all it was. That was the only reason she was thinking of this now. It was just the alcohol causing her to remember something so stupid and meaningless. Nothing more, nothing less.

That was until his lips caught hers.

She froze at first, her eyes flying open as a startled squeak escaped her lips. When she finally came to her senses and tried to pull away, he pressed closer to her, angling his head for better access. She brought her hands up again, shoving him as hard as she could. It didn't move him much, but he pulled away and raised a brow.

She was blushing fiercely, her face twisted with fury - but he knew shouldn't have been all that mad; he was still breathing after all.

"I should probably go." She said suddenly, slipping out of his grasp.

She nearly tripped over a book in her escape, and he couldn't help but snort in amusement as she disappeared behind the door, slamming it shut so hard it made the pictures on the rattle in protest.

He might have gone too far, and it probably hadn't been a good idea to try to use her as a distraction (or so he told himself that's all he was doing), but what was done was done. There was no point on dwelling on it for now; not that he could focus on anything anyway. His mind was hazy and his thoughts incoherent. With a loud sigh, he let his head fall back against the pillow.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until she stepped through her front door and begun digging through her bag that she remembered she'd forgotten her phone. She'd been so hell bent on getting out of his house that she'd forgotten to grab it from where it had fallen when he pulled her onto the bed. A low curse escaped her lips then; this was not a good situation. Penguin had her car, which she'd been too pissed off and flustered to remember during the two hour walk back to her house, and she didn't have anyway to contact him.<p>

As much as she wanted to blame him, she knew she was the one at fault. She should have just given his keys to Penguin and let his friends handle it, but _no_, she had to do it herself. She just _had_ to give into that look he'd given her. She groaned. She wanted to accuse him of using that as an excuse to make a move on her, to catch her off guard, but she knew better. When he'd spoken about his family, there was a sincerity in his tone, a pain that told her we was _not_ faking it.

Kicking off her heels, she all but threw herself onto the couch and draped her arm over her face.

She wasn't sure what to think anymore.

That night was supposed to be for fun, for her to loosen up a bit, but all it had done was add more things to the list she had to deal with.

A frustrated groan escaped her lips. _God damn him. _

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong> Welp.


	16. Chapter 16: Denial Isn't Just a River

**Note: **I don't even know what I was thinking during this chapter tbh

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 16: Denial Isn't Just a River<strong>_

He woke with a pounding headache.

Gritting his teeth, he rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head, shielding himself from the light peaking through the curtains. It had taken his tired mind a few moments to completely grasp the situation. He lifted the pillow, taking in the sight before him. He was in his own room, he knew that much, but the door was open and the light had been left on - two things he would never have done. His brows knit as he pushed himself up, lazily crossing his legs as he brought a hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"What the hell happened last night?" He muttered to himself.

Stretching, he slipped off the bed. As soon as he took a step, however, his foot hit something and sent it sliding across the floor. When it came to stop, he recognized the pink case instantly. He bent down to pick it up and unlocked the screen. There were several messages from Penguin.

He hit the green icon next to his name and waited for him to pick up the line.

"Thank god, I was beginning to get worried." He said, answering after the second ring.

"Penguin...what happened last night?"

The man on the other end paused. "Is Nami still there?"

"Still? She was here?"

Penguin sighed. "She drove you home from the bar. Wow can she _not_ be there? Where else could she have gone?"

He still found it hard to believe that she'd been there, but given the fact that her phone had been lying on the floor in his room, he had no choice but to. "I don't know where she could have gone," he replied, but a thought struck him then. If she had driven him home, she'd been in possession of his car keys. "If my car is missing I'm going to kill that woman."

"I don't think she'd steal your car, Law." Penguin replied.

He grumbled. "I wouldn't put it past her, honestly."

Peaking through the window, he found that the car was safe and in his driveway.

"She probably walked home then. I have her car," Penguin stated, "and you have her phone. Meet me at her apartment in twenty minutes?"

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>She was not happy.<p>

Sleep had eluded her again, and in an attempt to distract herself from the incident that had occurred a few hours prior, she'd taken to starting on her notes. It was a tedious task, and more often than not she found herself having to rewrite them in order to add things she'd missed the first time. She was beginning to think that it might be easier if she just did her notes on her laptop; it'd make editing much easier.

Downing the last of her coffee, Nami pushed herself out of chair and started for her office. She had just passed through the hall when there was a knock at her door. She turned to glance at the clock over the stove. It was eight thirty in the morning. _That's probably Robin. It's too early for the other's to be awake._

"Come in!" She called before disappearing into the extra room.

When she returned moments later, she nearly dropped her laptop.

"Sorry we came by so early," Penguin said holding up the lanyard that held her keys, "but I figured you'd need your car as soon as possible."

She gave him a strained smile, doing her best to keep her gaze off the man behind him. It would be her luck that he would turn up yet again. A huff escaped her lips as she moved to put her laptop on the dinner table.

"Thank you," she said as she took the lanyard. It came out much tighter and more forced than she would have liked. _Compose yourself, Nami. _

She turned to Law then.

While Penguin looked as if he'd been awake for a few hours, Law looked as if he'd just rolled out of bed. He wasn't wearing his hat and it looked like he hadn't even taken the time to run a brush through his hair - it was messier than normal. The bags under his eyes were more prominent than normal, and she could tell by the look in his eyes he was ridiculously tired. He looked like he'd just crawled out of hell.

Without a word, he reached into the pocket of his coat, pulled out her phone, and tossed it to her. She caught it effortlessly, and pushed it into her back pocket. "Thanks."

"You look stressed," Penguin mused.

"Collage." That was all she responded with. She didn't need to say more; both men were well aware of how difficult it was.

"Ah."

"How's Bepo?"

"Sick," Penguin shrugged. "We're actually going over there to check on him after we get Law's phone fixed."

She nodded in understanding before turning to her laptop once more and pushing the button to turn it on. "Tell him I said hi."

* * *

><p>"What did you do?" Penguin sighed once they were in the car.<p>

Law glared at him, not happy about the acquisition in his tone. "What the hell could I have done?"

Penguin gave him a look that clearly stated he knew. "Nami doesn't get frazzled by much, you _had_ to have done _something_."

If he had, he didn't know what. He couldn't remember anything after his rant, and even then, the events before that were hazy - he almost didn't remember how he got to the bar in the first place. With a loud groan, he dropped his head into his hands.

"You really do need to do something about that drinking problem of yours," Penguin stated, ignoring the glare from Law. "You're really starting to worry us."

"Then don't worry about me," he grumbled.

"It's not that easy."

He knew Penguin was right. It had become a sort of a crutch over the years, an escape, and a way of dealing with the stress. Granted it wasn't a healthy way, he knew that much, but sometimes when people were hurt, they don't always turn to the right thing. While it could be worse, the fact didn't excuse it, nor did it justify it.

It was a distraction from the pain, and one he really needed to drop. There were other ways, but he was hesitant to turn to someone for help; he'd been dealing with it for years and it was his burden, not someone else's - and he was fairly certain he'd rather have a drinking problem than a life long addiction to medication. At least with alcohol there was a chance of stopping, one that wouldn't send him sputtering into a chain reaction of withdrawal should he decide enough was enough.

Until something came along to trigger him, he'd do fine, but once those memories were brought back, it would take a week or more before he could finally get himself back on his feet again. Most people couldn't tell though; he'd hide it behind his mask of indifference and lie through his teeth when asked. He'd pass his sleeplessness off as nights of research or whatever feasible excuse he could come by and it would be accepted without question.

"Shachi said she knew something was wrong with you last night," Penguin said, drawing his attention.

"That's because you guys were talking about it in front of her," Law grumbled.

"She knew before that." The other man replied. "She knew from the moment she saw you that something wasn't right. She's not an idiot, you know."

That much was true. He'd met his fair share of intelligent people in his life, but she was one of the smartest.

"Figures," he sighed.

"Are you sure you didn't do anything. You know how you are when you're drunk." Penguin pressed.

"I probably did," he relented. "Though what, I don't know."

Penguin snorted then. "It couldn't have been _too_ bad. You're still alive. You should probably talk to her about it."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because despite how much you swear you don't, you like her, be it as a friend or more."

Law knit his brows. "Pen, I do no-"

"You may not realize it yourself, but everyone else is catching on." The other man continued. "Bepo, Shachi, hell, even Luffy's noticed it."

"And what in hell could possibly have given any of you the idea that I like her?" Law growled.

"Driving her home from the bar, which even when asked, you never do, going out of your way to take her her wallet, letting her talk you into a drinking competition and refusing to stop even when you knew you were going too far, not to mention how you two woke up, the fact that you take over every time she's in the hospital," he listed off, "and let's not even start on the time we went ice skating. Or New Years for that matter."

He paused for a moment, letting everything sink in, then he smirked. "And the fact you let her drive the car. You at least trust her, if not anything else."

He hated to admit it, but Penguin had a point. "You've been talking to Nico-ya again, haven't you?"

"Not really. It's just painfully obvious. Obvious enough that Bepo realized it shortly after I did."

Law rolled his eyes. "I don't like her."

"Right. Keep telling yourself that."

"I don't."

Penguin hummed. "I thought you said you'd tell me if you figured it out."

"I never said that. You just assumed I would," Law drawled. "And maybe I don't have it figured out."

"No," Penguin's voice took on a more serious tone. "You probably do have it figured out. You're just afraid to admit it."

Law raised a brow at that. "Why would I be afraid?"

"Law...how many years have I known you? I know what's going through your head. You won't even admit that she's a friend, even though at this point it's no secret. You've always been hesitant to let people in. You probably already know exactly what you think about her, you're just afraid to come to terms with it, because you know if you do, it just means another person has managed to worm their way into your life, and that's one more person you have to worry about losing. Seriously, you can pick up on just about anything, unless it has to do with your feelings."

He had no response. There was no way of responding without either denying, which Penguin was not taking for an answer, or admitting that the other man was, in fact, right. He really hated how insightful Penguin could be at times.

"Is there any point in this interrogation?"

"Other than my intentions to keep you from royally fucking up, not really." Penguin replied breezily. "My point is, you can't just ignore this. Your actions constantly contradict your words. If you keep going at this rate, it won't be long before she realizes it herself. All you're going to do is run the both of you in a circle - and if you keep it up long enough, she'll most likely get tired of it."

"You're talking like we're in a relationship or something." Law rolled his eyes.

"I'm pointing out precisely why you're _not_ in a relationship, and probably the reason you've _never had one_."

Law opened his mouth, but Penguin cut off.

"A _serious_ relationship. Your random flings here and there do not count."

He grumbled.

"You're twenty-eight and you're acting like a middle schooler with his first crush." There was a trace of humor in his tone, but Law didn't attempt to tell him he was wrong. Penguin wasn't listening to anything he said - there was no point in wasting his breath anymore.

A sigh escaped his lips as he turned his head to the window. His hangover still hadn't faded, and while he was likely awake enough to drive, for once Law would rather not be behind the wheel of his own car. Thanks to Penguin's interrogation/talk, his mind was too preoccupied mulling over just what he felt towards the woman.

He couldn't deny she wasn't anything less than a friend anymore, but he couldn't say she was anything more, at least not yet. The whole ordeal was nothing more than a massive headache, and he truly wished he could shove it off to the side for the time being, but he knew that if he put it off for too long, Penguin would start pushing him again. Granted the other man meant well, but sometimes he really wished he would back off, even if just a little bit.

"I don't see you with a girlfriend," Law snapped.

"Too busy." He replied nonchalantly. "I'd consider it if I wasn't working so much."

"If you could get one, you mean."

"At least the two I did get weren't with me for my money," Penguin said flatly. "Sometimes I really do believe you have the worst luck with women."

Law couldn't deny that; there was a reason he'd stopped trying to date after all. He'd grown tired of gold diggers after the third or fourth one.

"I was wondering why I wasn't getting the 'you need to get married' lecture," Law drawled.

Penguin rolled his eyes. "You're going to need to find someone who can deal with your mental instability."

"If you weren't driving, I would have smacked you by now," Law stated dangerously, turning to glare at him.

Penguin waved a hand dismissively. "It's the truth and you know it."

That may have been so, but it didn't stop him from wanting to.

* * *

><p>"Wait, so what happened?"<p>

A sigh tore itself from her lips. She didn't want to say anything to anyone, but she trusted Vivi to keep this confidential and to keep the teasing to a minimum.

"I drove him home from the bar last night." Nami replied.

She was lying on her couch with her feet in the air. One of her fingers idly twirled a strand of her copper locks while the other loosely held the phone to her ear. "And when we got to his house, he started talking about his family. I thought he was going to start crying!"

"Either he's a lot more emotional than I originally thought or he was really drunk."

"No..." Nami let her voice trail off. "I think even sober it'd be enough to push him to tears when talking about it. As far as I can tell, he didn't exactly have a great childhood."

Vivi hummed. "As in abusive parents or...?"

"It's kind of similar to what happened to me," Nami replied at length.

On the other end of the line, Vivi sighed. "Oh."

"But worse, actually. My sister actually managed to escape, his didn't." There was a hint of sadness in her voice. She hadn't had time to think about it then, but now that her head was relatively clear, she was able to understand the gravity of the situation. Not only had he lost his parents, but he'd lost his sister as well, and he'd been powerless to stop any of it.

"That actually explains a lot."

Nami hummed.

"Is that all that happened?"

Nami hesitated. "No...he...uh.."

"He?"

"Uh...kissed me." She said the last part so lowly Vivi almost didn't hear her.

"Oh?"

Nami winced at the suggestive tone.

"Didn't that happen on New Years, though?"

"It was different this time." She sighed.

He'd only done it then because the bottle landed on her. What happened last night was different. He'd done it out of his own will, albeit drunk, with no circumstances whatsoever - and she _almost _hadn't pulled away. She'd been kissed before, but it never felt like that - it never left her wanting more, and never left her with the dire need to run, but with him, it was like she'd never been kissed before.

"And what'd you do? Did you kiss him back?"

"No. I ended up running," she sighed. "Although, I kinda wish I didn't."

"Finally admitting you're attracted to him?"

She could feel the smirk in Vivi's voice and instantly regretted saying what she did.

Nami scoffed. "As if. I was drunk okay."

"Yet sober enough to remember. I've never known you to run from someone, Nami." The other woman laughed. "I mean really, you're usually so brave, so why is it when he does that, you run?"

She had a point. Nami bit into her lower lip. She didn't have an answer, and yet she did, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was just her mind twisting things.

"I don't know."

Vivi sighed. "It's simple; there's a spark there, Nami. He's not like the other guys you've dated. I mean I don't really know him all that well, but I can tell he isn't the shallow type."

"I know. I just don't know what to think of him. One moment he seems like he couldn't care less and the next he's got that stupid smirk on his face." She huffed. "He irritates me so much."

"You _so_ like him," the other woman giggled.

Nami groaned. "Vivi..."

"You teased me relentlessly about Khoza." She defended. "'Sides, it's cute how you keep denying it. But I have to go. I have yet another business meeting."

"Must be hard to be the heir to a fortune."

Vivi scoffed. "It's a lot harder than people would think. Just call me if you have anything else to tell me! Bye!"

"Bye!"

Nami sighed as the line went dead.

Though she wasn't sure where her feelings lay towards him, she knew one thing; things were only going to get more difficult between the two of them. She had two options; completely push him out, or let things take their course - and with the thoughts in her mind, pushing him away was going to prove to be difficult.

_"Fuck..."_


	17. Chapter 17: Just a Moment

**Note: **Don't ask me what happened this chapter, I have no idea.

Also you can blame Keirra for the crack ship. She encourages me too much.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 17: Just a Moment<strong>_

"Evicted?"

Nojiko smiled weakly. "I would have called you but my phone's off until I can find a job. I actually used the last bit of my money to drive here."

Nami let a small sigh slip past her lips. Her sister was always welcome, of course, but the fact that she'd lost her job and her apartment was more of a shock than she'd like to admit. Nojiko _never_ missed her rent, nor did she miss a day at work.

"How did this even happen?"

"Change in management. The new manager didn't like the fact that I had tattoos, so he fired me and I couldn't find another job in town so I came here since the city's bigger." There was a trace of disappointment in her voice; the whole ordeal had to have been stressful for her.

"Well, of course you can stay here until you can get back on your feet." The younger woman stepped aside to let her in. "I can move the futon into my office and you can sleep on that."

"Sorry if I'm causing too much trouble," Nojiko laughed.

Nami glanced over her shoulder, "No, it's not trouble. Besides, I feel a little safer with you here."

Nojiko knew what she was referring to. To be completely honest, she had been worried about her living on her own after the break in, but there wasn't much she could do - aside from losing her job _sooner_.

"I feel safer knowing that you're not living alone," she countered, a smile spreading her lips. "And here I thought I wasn't going to see you for a while."

"It's funny how things happen." Nami mused. She moved into the kitchen and pulled a can of soda from the refrigerator.

Nojiko hummed in response and plopped down onto the couch. "How about we do something? It's been a while since I've been able to let loose. I want to try ice skating."

The younger woman raised a brow. "Ice skating? Can you even stand on the ice?"

"No, but it can't hurt to try. I wanted to go the last time I was here, but with your accident and all I didn't have the opportunity. Maybe the others can come?"

"It's going to be a mess, I can already tell you that," Nami groaned. "Luffy and Usopp can't stay on their feet for too long before they're sliding into the walls, and knocking everyone else down."

Nojiko smirked at that, tilting her head to the side. "It sounds like it'd be interesting."

"Fine, fine. I'll call them."

* * *

><p>She knew <em>someone <em>was going to tell him, with Luffy around, that much was inevitable. What had shocked her was the fact that Penguin claimed the he'd blatantly refused to show - and while a part of her was thankful, another part of her couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that had balled up in the pit of her stomach. But in the end, she forced it away. She was here to enjoy the night and to allow her sister to take a break from the chaos that had suddenly descended over her; she was not about to let _him_ ruin her night.

A smile almost broke out on her face when Penguin slid up the the rail next to her, his never once meeting hers. They were focused on something further away, and Nami had a vague idea of what exactly had captured his attention, but he said nothing on the matter. She watched the way the corner of his lips fell, his head tilting to the side in a curious manner.

"She's really bad at ice skating," he said after a moment. Then he turned to smirk at Nami. "Worse than you were."

She puffed her cheeks indignantly. "I've gotten better."

"We'll see how it goes considering your _personal coach_ isn't here to night."

Nami sneered at him, then her expression changed. "Well then, you'll just have to act as a substitute."

"You should probably worry about your sister more than yourself," Penguin mused. "She's going to break something at that rate; and the fact that Luffy keeps letting go of her isn't helping her odds."

"If you're so concerned, why don't _you_ help her then?" Nami said in a condescending tone.

"Because I hardly know her?"

He didn't have time to protest further. Nami wrapped her hand around his wrist and pulled him forward with a surprising amount of strength. He was even more impressed that she managed to maintain her balance instead of falling flat on her face.

"You've been practicing, haven't you?"

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Possibly. It makes for a good distraction. Nojiko!"

Nojiko stopped in the middle of her failed attempt to stand properly. "Who's this?"

"A friend of mine. Penguin, this is my sister Nojiko. Nojiko, Penguin." Nami replied breezily. "I figured I'd have him help you before Luffy nearly kills you, or you manage it yourself by breaking your neck."

Nojiko smiled at him, her brow raised in a devilish manner. "Oh? You'll help me?"

The way she spoke and the way she acted vaguely reminded him of Nami, though, if he remembered correctly, the two of them weren't blood related. Despite usually being rather suave in these kinds of situations, he found himself speechless; he could only nod mutely.

"Then lead the way," Nojiko smiled, holding her hand out.

Nami couldn't help but giggle when he didn't react right away. Nojiko actually had to take his hand herself.

He'd recovered from his initial moment of shock and it wasn't long before he was showing her how to move in the same way Law had shown Nami. As far as she could tell, Nojiko was grasping the concept much more quickly than she had, but that didn't mean there weren't times when Nojiko lost her balance and ended up sliding across the rink. At one point, she'd even managed to knock Penguin off balance and send him sliding into Shachi.

"What possessed you to introduce those two?" Zoro scoffed, coming to stand beside her with a bottle of sake in his hand.

Nami shrugged. "He's had his eyes on her since she got here. That, and I would rather he show her how to skate than risk Luffy doing it."

Zoro hummed in agreement. "I wouldn't put it past him to do something stupid."

She cast him a sideways glance. "You're one to talk. Don't even get me started on the time you taught Tashigi. I still can't believe you just threw her over your shoulder like that."

"She kept knocking me over!" He grumbled in protest.

Nami rolled her eyes. "So you picked her up, and ended up falling over _again_ because she was not happy about the fact."

He glared at her. "Tch. That woman is a handful."

She said nothing in response. It wasn't a jest, there was some endearment to it, although she suspected he really meant that she truly was a handful.

"I'm surprised Trafalguy didn't show up. He's usually with them."

"I think Penguin said he had to work today." Her response was too dismissive, and though she didn't notice the slight tinge of disappointment in her tone, Zoro had.

He was silent for a moment before turning to look at her. "Something happened between you two."

She stiffened, her eyes going wide at the statement. Zoro wasn't nearly as dense as most people made him out to be, thought at times like these she really wished he was. There was no sense in trying to deny it, he'd seen her reaction and the more she fought to deny it, the harder he was going to push. A small sigh escaped her lips as she relented, leaning against the railing. "Maybe. It's nothing to be concerned about."

"If you say so," he shrugged. "But he does anything-"

"It's not like that," Nami cut in sharply.

Zoro raised a brow. She'd reacted too quickly for him to fully believe her statement, but he let it slide. She was a grown woman, and it was not his place to interfere with her life. "If you say so."

Nami grumbled in response and turned her attention to the rink. To her dismay, Nojiko seemed to be picking up on the concept of ice skating much more quickly than she had. It didn't bother her overly much, considering how happy her sister looked, but it still left her a bit miffed.

Just as she was about to start towards her sister, Penguin slid to a stop in front of her, holding his phone. "Law wants to talk to you."

She knit her brows. "About?"

"I don't know," he shrugged as he handed her the phone, "he didn't say."

"Hello?"

"Are you busy?"

She raised a brow. "I'm at the skating rink with my sister and the others, so yes I am. Why?"

He sighed. "I need to talk to you, but I'd rather not deal with your friends today. What are you doing later?"

"Things, I already told you, my sister's in town." Nami said hotly.

Law was silent for a moment, then he sighed. "You've been avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you, I told you I was busy."

She could almost feel the eye roll in his tone when he continued, "You left the bar the other night as soon as you saw me, you won't answer your phone, and you're trying to get out of talking to me right now. I'm not an idiot, Nami-ya."

"Okay, fine, I _was_ avoiding you," she grumbled, "but my sister really is in town."

He paused, and Nami thought he'd hung up but the sound of an irate sigh told her otherwise. "Just...forget it. It's not important."

She opened her mouth to say something, but the words died on her tongue as the line went dead. "That asshole," she huffed, puffing her cheeks indignantly, "calling me and then hanging up on me like that."

"He's been like that all week." Penguin sighed, taking the phone from her.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he was on his period," Nami snorted.

"They've got him working double shifts at the hospital, his episodes are getting worse, and frankly, even though he won't admit it, I think your avoidance put him on edge."

Nami sighed, taking his phone from him. "If I'm not back before you guys leave, can you drive Nojiko back to my house? Assuming if he actually answers, that is."

Penguin nodded. "Do you want me to tell her wha-"

"No! God, I'll never hear the end of it! Just tell her something came up."

* * *

><p>"I thought I told you to forget it."<p>

He was not pleased to see her, at least not at that particular moment.

"I was going to say 'I'd check with my sister' but you hung up on me, you asshole." She hissed, taking a step forward as she jabbed her finger into his chest.

He said nothing, but he didn't relent either. "Because I didn't think you were going to come. You _have_ been avoiding me."

Nami huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I told you it wasn't imp-"

"It was important enough for you to call, so don't try to make excuses."

He sent her a scathing glare, which she brushed off. "Fine, if you insist, but...just know that I'm not entirely sober."

She faltered for a moment at that. If she stayed, she' risk a repeat of what happened the week prior, but for some reason, after hearing what Penguin had told her, she just couldn't leave. She sighed and stepped past him. His brows raised, but he made so move to stop her as she entered his house.

"Not drunk enough to try something?"

Her tone was icy and when she turned to look at him, her eyes were hardset. It wasn't a question, but a warning.

"Probably not," he shrugged."I guess it's safe to assume that something happened last week, and you've been avoiding me because of it?"

She nodded, refusing to look him in the eye.

He didn't miss the blush dusting her cheeks. "And what exactly happened?"

"You really don't remember, do you?" She said in disbelief.

In all honesty, she should have expected him not to remember, but it still baffled her that he didn't. She wasn't sure why, but it did.

He shook his head. "No, I don't."

She pressed her lips into a line and sighed.

He smirked. He'd been resisting the urge to tease her, but the temptation was growing too strong now. "So, what exactly happened that night?"

She stiffened at his tone, involuntarily taking a step back. "Uh..things..."

"What kind of things, Nami-ya?"

"I didn't come here to talk about this," she snapped.

"Then why did you come here?" The teasing lilt to his voice was gone, replaced with his usual indifference. "Because that was _why_ I called you."

Nami knit her brows and turned to glare at him. "So you could tease me about it? I knew you were lying when you said you didn't know."

Law rolled his eyes. "I wasn't lying when I said I didn't remember, nor was teasing you part of my intentions; you just make it really easy. I just want to know what I did to make you go to the extremes you did to avoid me."

She muttered something, but he didn't quite hear her.

"What?"

"I said you kissed me," she muttered once more, this time loud enough to be heard, but only barely.

She'd turned her back to him, complete oblivious to the bemused look that had taken his face. He almost burst out laughing then, completely unable to comprehend why something that trivial would have caused her to avoid him as if he had the plague.

"You act like that hasn't happened before." He tried, and failed, to keep the amusement out of his voice. "And here I thought I'd done something worse."

Her face was burning as embarrassment took a hold of her. Her hands gripped the strap of her purse tightly trying to fight the onset of shaking that was threatening to overtake her. She shouldn't have said anything. Looking back on it, she realized how stupid it sounded. Maybe she really had overreacted.

She turned to leave, keeping her eyes down cast. He was probably smirking that stupid infuriating smirk of his, and that was the last thing she wanted to see right now. Just as she reached the door, however, his arm shot out and his fingers wrapped around her forearm. She tried to jerk away, but his grip only tightened as he pulled her back.

"Where are you going?"

When she finally turned to him, the usual fire was back in her eyes. Her face twisted with fury as she clenched her fists. "Home. If all you're going to do is laugh at me-"

"I'm not laughing at you," he said seriously. "I was just caught off guard."

She gave him a dubious look.

"Seriously," he said and let go of her arm. "As I said, I thought I'd done something worse."

After a moment, she let out a breath. "That wasn't all you did, but that's what bothered me the most."

He knit his brows at that. "What else did I do?"

"Started talking about what happened to you family." She responded slowly, watching as he paled at the mention of it.

She wondered, then, if bringing it up had been a good idea, but just as quickly as the pained look came, it was gone. "Ah."

He let out a sigh and plopped down on the chair behind him, seizing the bottle of whiskey sitting on the table beside it.

"Something's bothering you," she said then.

"Nothing's bothering me," he replied and took a long gulp from the bottle.

"Yes it is." She pushed.

"It's nothing I haven't told you about before," he relented. "Don't worry about it."

Nami gave him a skeptical look, but dropped the subject altogether. "If you say so."

Much to his surprise, she plopped down in the chair next to his and took the bottle from him. "We went ice skating again."

He snorted in response. "How many times did you fall?"

"None," she replied after taking a swig and passing the bottle back to him. "Although my sister fell quite a bit." She smirked then, "and I think Penguin's taken a liking to her already."

"I'm not really surprised. He and Shachi tend to do that." Law mused.

"I've seen the way Penguin looks at some women, but he would not take his eyes off her," she giggled. "He wouldn't even talk to her; she had to start the conversation."

Law hummed. "That's odd. He's usually really good about those things."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, doing nothing but passing the bottle between themselves until it was emptied.

"How long are you staying?"

"Trying to get rid of me?" She asked, raising a brow.

"In a way. If you want a repeat of last time, then go ahead and stay," his words were slightly slurred.

She sneered at him. "It's not so much as I _want_ to stay, it's that I can't leave."

"Hmm?" He turned his curious gaze to her. "Why's that?"

"If my sister catches me drinking and driving, she's going to kill me," Nami said simply.

She probably should have considered that before she started, but the thought had slipped her mind.

"You're not even drunk," he snorted.

"Fine, if you want me to leave so badly," she said as she stood, shouldering her purse.

He was on his feet then, an arm wrapping around her waist as he pulled her against him. She let out a startled shriek, her bag falling to the floor with a heavy thud. Just as she was about to squirm away, he dropped his head onto her shoulder and sighed. "Don't."

Her heart beat was quickening and she felt the heat of a blush warming her cheeks. His breath fanned out over the exposed skin of her shoulder, and she fought to keep from shivering, but her efforts were fruitless. He hardly acknowledged the action; he shifted slightly, burying his face into her neck. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Law...what's wrong?"

"Everything," he muttered, thoroughly surprising her with his response. "Just...don't leave."

"I'm not going to leave," she replied.

There was a gentleness to her tone, one that certainly betrayed her usually fiery demeanor. She moved to rest her hand over his. It was meant as nothing more than a comforting gesture, but the more she focused on it, she realized how small her hand was in comparison to his. She nearly jumped when he laced his fingers through hers.

"This needs to stop happening." She mumbled.

"What?" He asked, raising his head only slightly.

"You getting drunk and nearly breaking down on me."

"Sorry," he said, though she could tell he didn't mean it. "Though you have a point. There's plenty of _other_ things I'd rather be doing right now."

After a moment, she sighed. "Maybe you should try going to sleep?"

He shook his head.

"And why not?"

"You should know exactly why not," he grumbled. "I'm certain you're no stranger to them."

"They're just dreams," she tried to reason. She knew that wasn't the case; they were torture, but she had the feeling that no matter what he did, he'd be confronted with those thoughts and memories, but there was always the possibility he'd manage to go the night without one.

"At least try?"

"You'll leave and I really don't want to be alone right now..." His grip on her hand tightened.

He was being genuine, and most likely showing a side of himself that she doubted he would have shown if he was sober, but she decided she liked it; it meant he was human, just as everyone else - and it was easier to understand him when he wasn't trying to hide behind his indifference.

"I won't leave," she promised.

"Fine," he relented, "but just give me a few more minutes."


	18. Chapter 18: Don't Walk Away

_**Note: **_I am not sorry about the cat thing in the slightest.

Once again, don't ask me what happened here. Yolo

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 18: Don't Walk Away<strong>_

She wasn't sure how long they'd been standing there. It may have been only a few minutes, it may have been ten, but it didn't matter. When he finally pulled away, he seemed to have calmed down, much to her relief.

"I'm going to go take a shower," he mumbled, untangling his hand from hers.

She missed the contact, though she was glad he'd let go of her hand; he'd been gripping it so tightly her knuckles started to ache. With a small sigh, she watched him disappear down the hall. She knew he wasn't completely okay, but then again she doubted he ever was. Shaking her head, she bent down to collect her bag before making her way to the couch.

Just as she was making herself comfortable, she felt something nudge her foot.

Knitting her brows, she moved her leg to the side. At first, all she saw was a white ball of fluff, but then it shifted, and she found a pair of bright blue eyes looking at her. It didn't look too happy, but after a few moments of staring, it started to climb over her legs and sat down on her stomach.

"Oh you're so cute!" Nami squealed, reaching forward to touch the cat.

It pulled away and hissed at her. She didn't retract her hand, however, and after a few more moments of staring, it finally leaned forward, allowing her fingers to brush over its head. It took a step forward, pushing its head into the palm of her hand. She gently scratched behind its ears and the cat purred in appreciation.

"Huh. She likes you..."

When Nami turned her gaze to Law, she couldn't fight the blush painting her cheeks. He was standing in the hallway without a shirt on, and a towel lazily draped over his shoulder.

"Of course she likes me," Nami huffed, reaching down to scratch the cat again. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Because she doesn't like _anybody_." Law stated. "Aside from me, Bepo is the only one who can get near her without getting scratched to death."

She giggled when the cat licked her fingers. "What's her name?"

"Kikoku." He pushed himself off the wall and leaned over the couch to scratch her.

Much to his surprise, she ducked away from his hand and shifted closer to Nami, curling up in her cleavage. She stared at Law for a few seconds before putting her head down. Nami couldn't hold back her giggling as he stared at the feline, completely shocked by her behavior.

"She likes me more," Nami teased, childishly sticking her tongue out.

"Stick your tongue out at me like that again, Nami-ya, and I'll make sure you regret it" he said as he leaned towards her. She immediately pulled the appendage back into her mouth.

Given the look in his eyes, one that crossed between sadistic and flirtatious, she wasn't going to take any chances. She glared at him, puffing her cheeks indignantly. "I thought you said you were going to take a shower."

"I'm going now."

Once he turned his back to her, she stuck her tongue out again. "Asshole."

A loud buzzing drew her attention to her bag, then. As carefully as she could, trying not to let Kikoku fall from where she'd curled up, Nami pulled her phone from her bag and opened the message.

_**Spending the night at the doctor's, huh?**_

She groaned. Of course she'd know. Sometimes it was easier to keep things from _Robin_ than it was to keep them from Nojiko. Just as she was about to ask how she knew, another message popped up.

_**You're friend's a horrible liar, by the way.**_

Either he was a terrible liar, or Nojiko had gotten him to cave some how. _**Well, considering that I've been drinking, I decided that staying was probably the best option.**_

There was a short break before her phone went off again. _**Are you sure you two aren't dating?**_

_**NO. **_

She pressed the screen a bit harder as she typed the response, a frown turning her lips. Robin had asked her that question earlier in the week, right in front of everyone nonetheless. Needless to say it had taken her quite a while to calm Sanji down, and Luffy kept laughing at the idea, saying 'They'd be cute together'.

She huffed. Luffy didn't understand what he was saying, or he didn't care, either way it was causing her grief and problems that could be avoided, such as her friends' insistence that they were dating. They likely told Nojiko about their suspicions, which lead her to questioning Nami.

_**If you say so.**_

She didn't need to be there to know Nojiko was most likely laughing at her response.

Nami let out a loud huff and threw her head back. Kikoku shifted, lifting her head to glare at the woman, obviously not pleased with the sudden movement. She ignored her though, in favor of letting her self lay there with her arm draped over her eyes. The last thing she'd needed was that thought in her head now.

* * *

><p>She'd almost fallen asleep when the sound of glass shattering roused her from her sleep. She bolted upright, nearly throwing Kikoku off her in the process. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she could see Law bent over the counter in the kitchen. Without much thought, she scooped up Kikoku and set her on the couch.<p>

Cautiously, she stepped around the archway leading to the kitchen. She stopped, however, when she realized what had happened. He was leaning against the counter, his head propped up by his left hand, and in his right hand, he loosely held the neck of a broken sake bottle. Judging by the blood dripping from his fingertips, she concluded he'd most likely crushed the bottle in his hand for whatever reason.

A small sigh tore itself from her lips as she gingerly reached for the bottle and pried the remaining bits from his hand. He glared at her from beneath the rim of his hat, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she just picked up the pieces from the floor and tossed them into the trash can. It was difficult, but she ignored the fact that her hands were covered in his blood as she turned his palm upward and examined it. Much to her relief, none of the pieces had buried themselves in his skin.

When she made an attempt to pull him towards the sink, he wouldn't budge.

"Law," she said sternly, this time pulling harder.

He jerked his arm away from her, turning sharply. He is face was inches away from her's now, though it didn't have the same effect as it did the last time; there was nothing in his eyes now aside from sheer fury. "Don't touch me."

She would be lying if she were to say she wasn't scared, but she stood her ground, narrowing her eyes definitely. "What's wrong?"

"It has nothing to do with you," he hissed.

The shift in mood had unsettled her, scared her even. She didn't doubt he could be so harsh normally, but there was something different about his demeanor now. This wasn't just him being harsh or rude for no reason; he was _not_ okay, by any stretch of the means. She didn't blame him, however, she knew all too well how such things had happened. There'd been numerous times in the past where she'd reacted in a similar way to her friend's prodding.

"It does have something to do with me," she said sharply. "You were the one who asked me to stay."

"And I really wish I didn't," he said dryly.

"Do you?" Nami raised a brow. "Or are you just saying that so I'll leave?"

There was a heavy moment of silence between them before Nami spoke again. "I already told you, I'm not leaving."

That was not the answer he wanted to hear. A low growl tore itself from his throat as he leaned farther forward. Their noses brushed, but Nami made no move to escape. Her jaw was set, and her arms crossed over her chest in defiance.

"You're pissing me off."

"I could say the same," she replied hotly. "Quit trying to shove me away, Law."

"And yet you had no problem doing it all last week."

She pulled back as she shook her head. "There's a difference. I was just confused. You're a goddamn mess right now. And don't even try to tell me you're not."

His upper lip curled in a sneer. "And why the fuck would you care?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because it has nothing to do with you!" He growled. "You should have just fucking left-"

"I told you I wasn't leaving, and I meant it." She said firmly.

Somewhere, something inside him snapped. In the end, he wasn't sure what had pushed him this time, but he didn't really care either. He winced when she hit the wall, knowing full well that she was going to have at least a bruise come morning, but that was quickly forgotten when he slammed his mouth against hers, pulling a startled squeak from her.

He stiffened when he felt her arm rise, expecting her to hit him, but to his surprise she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer as she tilted her head for better access. Normally, his hands would have been in her hair, pulling as he greedily took everything she was offering, but now, he was too tired, too drained for that. And she noticed it - he knew as much when she pulled away, her gaze curios.

After a moment, she sighed. "Why?"

He knew what she was asking, but he didn't have an answer. At least not one that would make sense. Even he wasn't sure why he'd done that, but he had to admit, even if only to himself, that he was glad she didn't make an attempt to stop him.

"Why does it matter?" There was a trace of humor in his tone, albeit the exhaustion nearly covered it up.

She smacked him in the arm. "Don't start turning my words against me."

He gave her a tired laugh before glancing down at his hand. It was still bleeding, though most of it had started to scab over by now. When she grabbed his wrist this time, he allowed himself to be dragged to the sink.

"You should have let me do this sooner," she chided. "You got _blood_ all over my favorite shirt."

"Sorry," he said, halfheartedly. He winced when she pressed a bit harder on one of the cuts. "Ow, god damn it, Nami-ya."

"Hmph. That's for being defiant earlier."

"Damn witch," he muttered.

She pressed harder, earning a pained hiss in response.

"I'm so glad you aren't a nurse," he grumbled. "You'd probably do more harm than good."

"Only if I ended up with idiots like you," she replied. "Go wrap your hand before I do it for you."

It was a threat, he knew. Knowing her, she'd probably purposely wrap it so it cut off the circulation. But he wasn't all that great a wrapping with his left hand. "You might have to do it anyway."

She huffed, but went to find the bandages anyway. When she returned, he'd taken to unceremoniously dumping himself on the couch with Kikoku spread lazily over his chest. He shifted slightly, offering her enough room to sit on the edge while she set to work on wrapping his hand.

When she finished, he pulled his hand back and examined her work. Surprisingly enough, she'd done a decent job, at least enough of one to impress him. "I almost want to assume this isn't your first time bandaging something."

"It's not," she replied. "I've had to do it for the other several times, especially Zoro. He's always hurting himself somehow."

Then she turned to him, her gaze stern. "Now, you need to go to sleep, and don't try to argue with me. It's obvious you're exhausted."

He glared at her, though he knew she had a point.

"Come with me," he said then, smirking as she completely stiffened, her face quickly reddening. He expected the slap she'd aimed at her shoulder and caught her wrist effortlessly. "And don't try to leave before I wake up, you did _promise_ you'd stay."

She gaped at him, stunned by his audacity. Her eye twitched as she turned to reach for the pillow at the end of the couch, but before she could grab it, he pulled her down to him, pressing his lips against her for a fraction of a second. "I did warn you," he shrugged as he let her go. "Take the couch if you want," he said then, pushing himself up. Kikoku glared at him, not pleased with the sudden movement, but hopped onto the floor nonetheless. "But I have to warn you, the couch isn't all that comfortable."

"Or I'll take the bed and you take the couch," she said. "I mean it is courteous to let you _guest_ choose."

"You're not a guest," he grumbled. "I didn't invite you, you just showed up on your own."

"Still, I don't live here, therefore I am, in fact, a guest." She reasoned.

"You do realize that if I let you have the bed, I'm just going to come in there as soon as my back starts hurting."

She gave him an amused snort. "I've never met a man so hell bent on getting me in his bed."

"I'm just trying to be nice, Nami-ya."

"Oh you're such a sweetheart," she drawled.

"Just stop arguing with me." He sighed then, the exhaustion finally starting to take over him again. "It's not that I'm trying to get you in my bed, it's just that I tend to sleep better when someone else is in the room."

"Don't tell me you share a bed with the boys..." She said, raising a brow in mock surprise.

"Not willingly, although half the time they all manage to find their way into it when I'm sleeping." He grumbled. "The amount of times I've woken up with Shachi's foot in my face is borderline ridiculous."

Nami rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I swear if you try anything, I'll make damn sure you regret it."

He pushed himself off the couch and started towards the hallway, but just as he passed through the archway, he turned to her with an arrogant smile. "Right, because you were putting up _so much_ resistance earlier."

Her face twisted with fury as she started towards him, her hands balled as if she were going to hit him. "You cocky, arrogant, conceited-"

"You do realize you're just saying the same thing over and over again, right?" He took a step back for every step she took forward, though the amused glint never faded from her eyes.

"Cheeky, insufferable, asshole."

She swung at him once he was backed against the wall, but with quick movements, he caught her wrist and slung her over his shoulder. The action was so unexpected that she couldn't even manage a squeal as he stepped into his room and unceremoniously dropped her on his mattress. She glared at him as he flopped down next to her, burying his face in the pillow.

She jabbed him in the side once, before reluctantly settling down next to him, keeping her back turned to him.

_I really need to stop drinking around him_, she told herself, convinced that it was the _only_ reason he'd gotten away with the things he had. She obviously wasn't in her right mind; there was no possible way she would have resigned herself to _willingly sharing the bed_ if she wasn't, but amidst that thought, there was a little voice in the back of her head told her she was lying to herself, that it wasn't just the alcohol fuling her actions.

She let out a long sigh. Just what was going on with her? She was _never_ like this.

Law shifted behind her, lazily throwing his arm over her waist and drawing her closer to him, effectively pulling her from her musings. He muttered something then, barely audible, but she heard it.

"Don't thank me yet. I may just dip out in the middle of the night." She didn't mean what she said, but she couldn't resist the urge to tease him.

"But you won't," he said confidently. "You promised, and I intend to make you keep that promise."

She rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and go to sleep already, before I knock you out."


	19. Chapter 19: Cross The Line

_**Note: **_Sorry this chapter took so long to update, I came down with a cold and other things happened, but in any case, here's chapter 19.

Also for those of you who don't know, I've started to rewrite this and the rewrite can be found on my fanfiction blog, which is linked in my profile.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 19: Cross the Line<strong>_

In most stories, people woke up smiling and well rested, glad to greet the new day. In romance novels, they woke up nestled snuggly in their lover's arms.

When Nami, woke up, however, it was not like that. There was hand in her face and her entire body was dangerously close to the edge of the bed; one wrong move and she'd end up on top of a pile of textbooks. She tried to shift back, but Law's knee pressing into the middle of her back prevented her from moving more than an inch. An irate huff escaped her lips.

Seeing no other option, Nami slipped off the mattress and stretched.

"I'm impressed, you really didn't run off."

She turned to glance of her shoulder. Law was lying on his side, his head propped up in his hand. He was smirking in the infuriating way he had, and Nami found herself momentarily captivated by it instead of enraged. Shaking off the feeling, she rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "Considering that you basically had me _trapped_, I ended up giving up."

Law snorted at that. "You know damn well that if you wanted to get away, you would have."

Nami glared at him over her shoulder. "Don't get cocky just because it happened this time. I only did it because you were upset. If you ever try to get me into your bed like that, I swear I'll-"

"Nami-ya, just shut up already. You know you're threats are meaningless to me," he drawled. "You and I both know that my being upset was not the only reason."

Somewhere, deep inside, she knew he was right, but her mind refused to acknowledge the fact. It stubbornly insisted that his mental state had been the one and only reason for her actions the night before; nothing more, nothing less. But if that were the case, then why was her heart racing as it was? Why did she feel so cold the second she slipped from his grasp? Why was she still standing there? "And what exactly makes you think it wasn't?" She asked hotly, crossing her arms defiantly.

His smirk broadened, and his eyes had a near mischievous glint to them. "The way you kissed me last night says otherwise."

Her brows shot into her hairline at that. She'd actually forgotten about it until that moment. Her heart skipped a beat then, and she could feel the heat rushing to her face, but she forcibly passed it off as embarrassment. Her bottom lip ached as her teeth dug into the soft flesh.

_Shit_.

She darted forward, attempting to make an escape, but before she could step through the door, his hand was wrapped tightly around her wrist and he turned her to him. "You are _not_ going to run away again," he hissed.

Nami pointedly chose to look everywhere but at him. Normally she would have taken the upper hand in these situations, but there were too many emotions running amok within her, and she couldn't make heads or tails of what she wanted and what she felt. She wasn't sure whether to feel angry at his arrogance, embarrassed by the fact that he'd brought it up, stunned by his audacity, or captivated by his gaze - and she sure as hell didn't know what to do with the overwhelming urge to push him against the wall and kiss him senseless.

She wasn't sure where the last feeling came from, but the longer they stayed like that, the more tempted she was. He was attractive, damn near gorgeous, if she was being honest with herself, and his lips looked so soft...

"Nami-ya. You can stop staring at me like you're going to eat me," he responded as he let her go.

He'd been expecting the book she'd sent his way. Even though he dodged, it had missed by less than an inch; he was quickly learning just how good her aim was. Without sparing her a glance, he seized her jacket from the chair where she'd left it the night before, and snatched her bag from the ground by the couch.

"_Now_ you're trying to throw me out?" She asked, her tone laced with mock hurt.

Law rolled his eyes and tossed her things to her. "I'm hungry and I'm not cooking this morning."

"So you kick me out, how sweet."

"You're coming with me," he replied simply, "consider it a 'thank you' for last night."

She couldn't protest to that. Law was not the kind of person to thank people, at least not often. With a sigh, she slipped into her coat and threw her messy hair into a bun. Just as she had finished, Kikoku hopped onto the back of the couch, tilting her head curiously. Nami reached down and scratched her ears gently before shouldering her purse. "How'd you get her?"

He turned to her, his expression serious, though there was a trace of humor in his tone. "Drunken excursion when I was sixteen. I ended up climbing a tree to get her out, though I ended up stuck in it as well."

She snickered at that, trying to imagine just how that could have gone. "How'd you get down?"

"I jumped...from fifteen feet in the air. Bepo and Shachi caught me."

If she wasn't so used to her own friends pulling stunts just as stupid, if not more, she would have been surprised. Needless to say, she wasn't all that surprised. She rolled her eyes. "Idiot."

He shrugged off her response as he seized his coat and keys. "Hurry up. I want to get there before the morning rush."

Nami huffed and adjusted her bag on her shoulder as she followed him out of the house. A light snow had fallen the night before, further blanketing the streets in white. The air was chilly, escaping her lips in white puffs and tickling the skin on the back of her neck as she opened the passenger door to Law's car and slipped in. Despite the fact that the seat was cold, it was comfortable.

She'd always wanted a car like his, sleek and luxurious, though it was well out of her price range, especially in terms of insurance. Her car wasn't the greatest thing in the world, but it got her where she needed to go, though looking at it in comparison to his almost made her feel embarrassed. She shook the thought from her head. There was nothing she could do about it, at least not right now, so there was no point in dwelling on trivial matters.

"Where are we going?" Nami asked once Law had slipped into the driver's seat.

"The cafe by your apartment. The owner's daughter was in an accident a few years back and I saved her life, so half the time they either don't charge me, or they cut the bill substantially." Law explained. "I don't go all that often, at least not anymore."

She hummed lowly, "Don't be surprised if the others are there. Until we were old enough to go to Rayleigh's that place used to be like our second home."

Law looked as if he were reconsidering his decision, but when he glanced in his wallet, he grumbled. "If that's the case, then I'll just have to deal. Shachi and Bepo nearly cleaned my wallet out the other day at the mall."

"You have a card," Nami pointed out.

"I don't like using it," he shrugged.

Nami raised an inquisitive brow.

"Let's just say Shakky ended up double charging me the first time I used it at the bar."

She laughed at that, throwing her head back against the headrest. "She'll do that. Just be lucky she didn't take your number."

Law snorted and gave her a dubious glance. "I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if _you_ don't have it."

The redhead flashed him a devious grin. "I might."

He glowered at that, not doubting for a second that it was possible she really did have his credit card number somewhere. Knowing her, she probably also had the pin somewhere as well. "At least now I know who to turn to if some strange amount of money goes missing."

"Oh please, I wouldn't take money out," she waved her hand dismissively, "I might buy a few things, though."

"Then you can pay for your own breakfast, with _your_ own money," he responded.

She hummed at that, turning to him with an expression of mild shock. "I thought the guy was supposed to pay?"

Law smirked at that. "This isn't a date, Nami-ya," he said casually. Her face lit up then, her eyes widening partially at the comment.

She sneered at him. "No one ever said it was a date," she shot back, trying to regain her composure. "I just-"

"You assumed I was going to pay, even though I know you have money? Like I said, this isn't a date." As they pulled up to the red light, he turned towards her, letting his elbow rest on the bottom of the steering wheel. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, and while she was tense and flustered, he was regarding her with lazy confidence. "Unless you want it to be one."

She reacted the way he suspected she would. Her brows had risen into her hairline and her jaw dropped, the fierce blush on her cheeks doing nothing but only adding to the look of shock that had taken her features at that moment.

He chuckled as he turned his attention towards the road. "Or," he continued, cutting her off as she was about to answer, "you can go on a _real date_ tomorrow night."

Her mouth snapped shut, her brows furrowing. "Did you just..."

Law glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, the smirk having melted into a frown. That suggestion hadn't meant to be spoken, but it slipped out. Her silence was making him uncomfortable. He chewed on his lower lip as he turned his gaze to the road. There was no way to take it back now; if he lied and said he was joking, he ran the risk of being slapped, and though one wouldn't suspect it, Nami was quite the hard hitter.

He heard her sigh as she shifted in her seat. "Fine. But I'm choosing the place."

Despite the shock, he couldn't help the triumphant grin that spread his lips. "As long as it's not anything stupid, like shopping, then go ahead."

"But why not!?" She whined, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I've heard the rumors, Nami-ya. And despite the occasion, I'm not going to empty my wallet _again_ on clothes that you'll most likely end up wearing three times before moving onto your next haul." Law stated bluntly. This his expression turned accusatory. "If you accepted on the grounds of getting my money, then I take it back."

She gasped. "Law! How could you think I would do that!?"

The look he gave her explained just exactly why he'd think that. She grumbled and relented. "Fine. They're still doing the winter festival thing down at the City Center, I wanted to go last weekend, but everyone was busy."

He was not thrilled about festivals, but if it meant his wallet could catch a break, he'd relent. "Fine. Tomorrow night at seven?"

She hummed an affirmative.

The rest of the ride was filled with a comfortable silence. Upon pulling into the parking lot of the cafe, Nami felt a feeling of apprehension take her. Robin's car was parked in its usual spot with Sanji's right next to her. "Great," she muttered. "There's a good chance that Robin, Franky, Zoro, and Sanji might be here. Maybe Luffy too."

"We already discussed this. Just deal with it," Law said, though she could tell by his tone he was no more appreciative of their presence as she was.

She felt their eyes on them the second they stepped into the cafe. Still, she forced herself to act normal as she plopped down next to Zoro, Law sliding into the spot across the table. Before the silence could grow any more tense, Robin turned to Nami. "Vivi called me last night since you weren't answering your phone." Her tone was suggestive and Nami pointedly chose to ignore it. "Apparently her father's business is doing exceedingly well and their holding a party in Alabasta to commemorate it. It's also to publicly announce Vivi's pregnancy as well. She's invited all of us, including Trafalgar-san, if he wants to go."

The older woman turned to Law expectantly. He answered her with a grumble. "I don't see why I was invited."

Nami knew, however, and she cursed under her breath. Of course Vivi would invite him.

"If I can get off work," Law finally relented. "And of course if none of your friends have any objections."

Robin uncharacteristically glared at Sanji before he could intervene. She turned back to Law with a small smile. "There are no objections, and Vivi personally invited you. She'd probably be disappointed if you didn't come."

"Are you trying to guilt trip me, Nico-ya?"

She chuckled at that. "No, but from what I've been hearing from your friends, you could use the break from work. And Alubarna is a large city; it should be fairly easy to escape from Luffy should he get on your nerves."

As much as he felt like she truly was guilt tripping him, he could not argue the fact that he needed a break, and the idea of being able to slip away from Luffy undetected was rather appealing. He let out a defeated sigh. "I'll see what I can do."

Robin smiled at that. "That's great to hear."

The rest of the morning continued in a similar fashion; tense and forced pleasantries. Needless to say, both of them were relieved when the others left.

"I don't think your friends were thrilled about us coming in together." He said after a while.

"Robin was the only one who most likely didn't mind." Nami waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not really all that surprised; the boys have always been pretty protective over me - to the point where its unbearable at times."

Law hummed in amusement. "I noticed. Zoro-ya's been sending me glares since New Years."

The redhead rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. "He'll do that. Don't be surprised if one of them pulls you off to the side one of these days; I wouldn't put it past them to start slinging threats at you."

He snorted. "I think the glare cook-ya had the entire time was enough for me to suspect as much, though I'm hardly concerned."

"You'd be the first, then," Nami mused. "I know they mean well, but after the fifth or sixth potential relationship their overprotectiveness, most guys stopped trying."

"Hmm. Well, then that's no loss to you. If they can't deal with your friends, they they obviously aren't worth the time."

"Are you implying that _you_ can?"

He smirked at that. "Considering that their actions haven't deterred me yet, I suppose you could say as much."

"Until it gets physical," the redhead stated as a matter-of-factly.

Law raised a brow. "Don't underestimate me, Nami-ya. I'm more capable than you think."

"I believe that much, but they're pretty strong." She teased.

"I almost want to push them to aggression just to prove my point," he drawled as he tilted his head to the side. "Care to make a bet on it?"

"Depends on which one it is, and whether or not all of them want to jump in as well."

A chuckle tore itself from his throat. "That's not much of a fight."

"No, but it's a reasonable assumption. Granted there are a couple you could probably take, though Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji will be the three who prove the most difficult."

"Either you have a large amount of faith in them, or you're still underestimating me."

Her smile was cat like. "We'll just have to see about that, Torao."


	20. Chapter 20: Failed Plans

**Note: **Oops

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 20: Failed Plans<strong>_

She was nervous.

For the fifth time that hour, she changed her outfit, only to find that she was less than pleased with it as well. She'd torn through her closet and nearly every article of clothing she owned had been tossed onto her bed and she still couldn't find a combination that satisfied her.

"I don't even know why I agreed to this," she sighed.

"Because you like him," Nojiko stated. She leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest.

Nami sent her a half hearted glare before looking over her newest choice. It was more flattering than the others, but she still wasn't convinced it was the right choice. She'd started to pull the shirt over her head, but Nojiko's comment stopped her. "If you're really worried about looking bad, just remember that that man saw you right after you'd been hit by a car. He's literally seen you at your worst."

She had a point.

With a defeated sigh, Nami fixed her shirt and turned from the mirror. "It's just that I haven't been on a date in two years; what of this ends up like all of the other ones?"

Nojiko sighed. "You're being paranoid, Nami. He's not like the other guys, you know this. It's been almost three months, right? If they haven't scared him off yet, he's most likely not going anywhere."

"They haven't done anything because they don't know about what happened a couple nights ago," she muttered.

Her sister knit her brows and her expression darkened. "He didn't..."

"No, he didn't hit me, Nojiko." Nami sighed. "He got mad at me, scared me, but he didn't hit me."

She could see that her sister was mulling over the thought, and she did not look pleased. After a moment, however, she sighed. "Penguin did mention something about him being stressed."

"Stressed doesn't even begin to cut it," Nami scoffed. "Just from the little bit he told me, he hasn't had it easy, and I know there's more he's keeping hidden."

"People who overthink tend to be difficult to deal with," Nojiko hummed. "Honestly, I'm not happy about what you told me, but you're a smart woman and I trust your judgment. If he does to anything to hurt you, though, I'll make sure he never lives it down."

She doubted there was much Nojiko could do against him, but she appreciated the concern. "I'd be scared if I were him."

It was sarcasm, but her sister laughed anyway. She opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of Nami's phone cut her off. "You're date's here. Have fun."

Nami cast her a nervous glance, to which Nojiko only replied by grabbing her bag and ushering her out the bedroom door. "If the others ask where you are, I'll think of something."

"Thanks," she said and hugged her sister. "I'll call you when I get home."

"If you come home." The other woman's tone was teasing, and Nami blushed at her implication.

"That is _not_ happening!" She hissed. "Don't go putting ideas in my head, Nojiko!"

Nojiko laughed. "Go."

With one last look at her sister, Nami shook her head and stepped outside. The sun had only just set, but it was considerably dark; had it not been for the lights in the building's parking lot, she wouldn't have seen his car. When she slipped into the passenger seat, he glanced at her. "I would have gotten out but I ended up breaking my leg at the hospital yesterday."

"How?"

His expression was unsettled and she understood why when he responded. "Slipped in a puddle of blood."

"Bad accident?" She asked, though she knew the answer. If there was that much blood, then it had to have been.

"Yeah, a bad accident."

She narrowed her eyes at that. "Law, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Do you still want to go to the festival? Or do you want to go somewhere else?" He deliberately changed the subject, giving her a hard glare that clearly stated the matter was not to be discussed.

"We could have rescheduled," Nami sighed.

He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I need the break, Nami-ya. I'm capable of walking. It's just a fracture."

She contemplated pushing him, but his whole demeanor told her something was bothering him. "Do you just want to come up instead?"

"I'd rather go somewhere." He mumbled

"You're leg's broken, Law." Her tone was chiding as she glared at him. "Besides, Nojiko is heading to the bar with the others, so she won't be there."

"I can't climb the stairs, Nami-ya."

Nami huffed. "Maybe we should just reschedule this."

Law let out a long breath before he pushed the car door open and seized his crutches from the backseat. "Help me up the stairs."

She blinked at him, completely thrown off by how quickly he'd resigned to her suggestion. He was either not in the mood to fight her, or he wasn't in the mood to care. She shouldered her bag and moved to the other side of the car.

She wrapped her arm around his waist and draped the other one over her shoulder as she lead him towards the stairs. The ascent was slow, slower than it had been the night he'd taken her home from the bar, but he wasn't putting up any sort of protest. Once they reached the top of the second flight, he turned to her. "Sorry about tonight."

"It's fine," she said after a minute. "It can't be helped."

She smiled at him as she opened the door and ushered him inside. He instantly took a seat on the couch, propping the crutches against the arm. A moment later, she plopped down next to him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He regarded her skeptically, and she could tell he was considering something. "I'm fine," he said at length. "Something happened yesterday, another patient died in the OR."

Nami vaguely remembered Penguin once telling her that Law had a habit of blaming himself when someone didn't pull through, and she concluded that was likely the cause of his sour mood, though the damper on the date probably played a role in it as well. She sighed then, leaning against him. "It happens."

"I'm supposed to prevent it from happening," he grumbled and lifted an arm to drape it loosely around her shoulder.

Her smile was sad as she turned to him and put one of her hands on his cheek. "Sometimes a person's time comes. Not even the best doctors can save them. Don't go blaming yourself for something that was beyond your control."

He closed his eyes for a moment, but opened them once her felt Nami shift and settle herself sideways on his lap. The hand on her cheek moved to pull the hat from his head before she pushed her fingers through his hair. "No one lives forever, Law."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She was only trying to comfort him, but he knew all too well that people don't live for ever, _she_ knew that; both of them had seen death firsthand. 'No one lives forever' was a lesson they'd both learned the hard way.

"I'm well aware, Nami-ya." His tone was humorless and she frowned at his response.

"This is supposed to be a date," she reminded him. She moved her hand back to his cheek. "You're always upset. Try to loosen up, just a little? Just for now?"

If it were anyone else, he would have continued to look troubled, but the softness of her tone and the genuine concern in her eyes begged him to at least try. If it's what she wanted, then he'd at least make an attempt.

It was that moment that he came to realize that he liked her, though it wasn't a grand thing. It didn't feel like he'd been struck by lightning, nor did it feel like he'd been hit by a train. It happened just as casually as the one would notice a slight jump in the temperature. It came easily and all he could do was acknowledge it and shrug it off. It didn't mean his fears were quelled, it simply meant he'd come to terms with it.

It was a simple realization. Nothing more, nothing less.

He let himself relax with a heavy sigh, and she smiled in response. He certainly was easier to deal with when he was sober.

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Want to watch a movie?"

"As long as it's not some sappy romance," he grumbled and let his head fall back onto the back of the couch. "I have to watch enough of those because of Shachi." After a moment, he sat up and looked her in the eye. "Don't tell him I told you that. That was supposed to be a secret."

She giggled as she slipped off his lap. As odd as it sounded, she could picture Shachi watching one, but what she'd really found amusing was the image of Law being forced to sit through it - she could almost see him physically gag every time there was a sappy line. "Not the romantic type, are you?"

Law raised a brow. "Do I look like the romantic type to you?"

"Looks can be deceiving." She pointed out as she opened the case below the TV and began looking through the movies. "According to Robin, Franky is surprisingly romantic."

"I'm not Franky-ya," he said flatly.

"I am thankful for that," she muttered, "but you get my point. Just because you don't _look_ like the type doesn't mean you _aren't_."

"The most romantic thing you're going to get from me is _maybe_ a rose on Valentine's Day." He snorted. "I'm warning you now, Nami-ya, since Penguin's probably going to let it slip at one point or another, but my track record for relationships is not the best."

Nami narrowed her eyes at this, and glanced over her shoulder. "Who said anything about a relationship? And why?"

"Let's just say my paycheck attracts the wrong people."

"Ah, gold diggers," she snickered. "I'll admit that I love money and I can be greedy about it, I'd never stoop that low."

"So it really isn't my paycheck you're after."

She glared at him, her upper lip pulling back in a sneer. He only chuckled in response. She knew it was a joke, but it still stung a bit to know he'd actually considered it a possibility. She couldn't blame him though; she had a reputation after all, and once given, for whatever reason, reputations were not so easily changed.

"Your records probably better than mine," she admitted. She slipped a disk into the player and returned to the couch. "Thanks to my classmates in high school, I don't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to dating."

"And what reputation would that be?" He inquired.

"That I'm a no good, dirty, cheating whore who'll sleep with anyone who offers me money." She said it with nonchalance, though it was evident in the way she stiffened that she wasn't too pleased about it.

"And yet, you threw a fit when lying in the same bed as me," he mused.

"I never said it was true." She sighed and let her head fall against his shoulder. "I'm still a virgin, for crying out loud."

The grin that spread his lips had her regretting letting that slip. "That explains so much, Nami-ya. You'd never been in another man's bed before that night a couple weeks ago, had you?"

Her face flushed. "So what if I hadn't."

"Who knew you were so inexperienced, Nami-ya," he teased. He chuckled when her blush deepened.

"Don't look at me like that," she muttered.

"Why not?"

"Because it's making me uncomfortable." She snapped. Her response only caused his grin to widen.

"And why's that?" He pulled her closer, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers.

She replied with a fiery glare. "Because I just told you that I was a virgin and the way you were looking at me _clearly_ stated you want to change that."

He hummed. "Maybe, but not yet."

The smug look that took his features had her heart skipping a beat. She didn't have time to spit out a response, however, because he caught her lips in a kiss a few seconds later. Instead of fighting it, like he suspected she would, she wrapped her arms around his neck, one of her hands toying with the ends of her hair as he forced her to tilt her head to allow him better access. She gasped for breath and he took the opportunity to push his tongue into her mouth.

She groaned appreciatively at the action and pushed closer to him, tangling her fingers in his hair. The arm around her shoulders slid to her waist, his fingers pushing the up the hem of her shirt to tease at the soft flesh below while the other found its way into her hair, resting at the base of her neck as he pushed her back until he was lying on top of her.

He pulled away for a much needed breath before nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, nipping and kissing at the sensitive skin. When he hit a particularly soft spot behind her ear, he hear her breath hitch and her grasp on his hair tightened. He couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. He nipped at her again, this time drawing a gasp from her lips. When he lifted his head to look at her, she was glaring at him, knowing full well he did it with the intentions of messing with her. The sight made him chuckle.

She really was attractive when she made that face, even more so when it was directed towards him.

He caught her lips again. This time it was rougher than anything else, as if was testing his boundaries. His hand untangled itself from her hair and found its way to her left breast. She tensed, however, when his hand came to rest on it. With a gasp, she pulled back, her gaze uncertain and threatening.

In all honestly, he thought she was going to stop him sooner, but she hadn't, and he took that as a small victory on his part, considering that she didn't try to push him away. She had yet to _say_ that he'd gone too far, but she didn't need to; her reaction said enough.

"Too far?"

She bit her lip. He could tell she wanted to say yes, but she also seemed to be considering saying no. After a moment, she sighed. "For now."

He smirked and kissed her once more before letting his head rest on her shoulder. She shivered as his breath fanned over her skin, but her hands fell to his back where she drew lazy circles with the tips of her nails. Her expression, however, seemed a bit distant, as if she were lost in thought. While he had come to accept that she was in fact more than just a friend now, he doubted she'd done the same; the confusion her eyes told him as much.

"Weren't we supposed to be watching a movie?" Her voice was soft, almost inaudible. She was most likely talking to herself, but Law humored her with an answer.

"I'm watching it now." He hummed.

She ran her nails along his back, sending a shiver down his spine that he barely managed to suppress. It was comforting, but strangely stimulating at the same time. He wasn't really paying attention to the movie, in fact he was starting to doze off. Her body was warm, and much needed comfort from the past couple of days. It'd been so long, he'd almost forgotten how relaxing it could be to lie in someones arms like that; he hadn't felt that content since Corazon died.

The thought brought about unwanted memories and he buried his face further into neck, forcing himself to focus on her scent and the curves of her body in an attempt to ward away the pain that had slipped its way into his being at that moment. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be either.

He wanted a drink then, but want and need were two different things, and after had happened the other night, he was hesitant to let himself drink when his mental stability was in question. Though she hadn't said anything on the matter, he knew he'd scared her. He'd tried to brush it off, but it crept back into his mind; she'd only been trying to help. Her concern was justified - he'd told her too much for her to just let it go, and he was glad she didn't. If she had, he wouldn't be here right now, not if she showed she cared that little.

But she did care, and he was genuinely thankful for that - though he wished she didn't.

Her concern for him was going to put her in a dangerous position soon enough.

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><p><strong>Note: <strong>How do kiss, I do not understand.

And idk what happened yet again. I never know what happens tbh


	21. Chapter 21: Something Left to Hide

Note: Sorry it took so long to update. A lot of stuff's happened in the past month and I've been low on motivation and all that jazz (you can tell by reading the chapter), but yeah, here's the chapter, finally.

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><p>Chapter 21: Something to Hide<p>

Some time in the middle of the movie, they'd both dozed off, though he'd been woken a couple hours later when the door to Nami's bedroom opened and her sister emerged. She'd given him a sly smile before leaving the apartment. He'd completely forgotten she was there.

Now that he was awake, he was finding it difficult to fall back asleep. With a tired sigh, he buried his face in her neck once more and breathed in her scent. It was calming, even if he'd never really been fond of the smell of tangerines. Over the past couple months, however, it had quickly become one of his favorites, whether he was willing to admit it or not. The smell was, theoretically, ingrained into his memory as it still lingered on his sheets after the last time she'd spent the night with him.

He lifted his head to look at her.

Her brows were furrowed sharply and the corner of her lips turned down in a slight frown. She bit down on her lip and shifted. Her breathing was becoming heavier and more erratic. "Mom..."

Without thinking, Law reached up and pushed a chunk of her hair from her face. She tensed at his touch, her face twisting into a grimace, but her reaction did nothing to deter him as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Nami-ya, wake up."

She didn't respond at first.

"Nami-ya." He said a bit more forcefully.

She bit into her lip again, this time hard enough to draw blood. She was shaking and one of her hands gripped the cushion of the couch so tightly her knuckles were turning white. A noise slipped past her lips, something that vaguely sounded like a mix between a strangled sob and a whimper.

Law heaved a sigh and pinched her cheek.

The action was enough to cause her to jump, her eyes flying open. She'd almost swung at him out of pure instinct, but he caught her wrist easily. His grip was gentle, yet strong as he lowered her arm away from his face.

His method probably wasn't the most courteous way of waking someone up, but it had done the trick.

She met his gaze. She was unsettled, that much was obvious by the frantic look in her eyes, and a bit surprised, if the rise in her brows was anything to go by. Her breathing was beginning to settle, though it was still labored at times. Turning her gaze away from him, she unclasped her other hand from the couch and pushed it through her dampened hair. She swallowed hard and took several deep breaths to calm herself.

"Did I wake you?"

"No," he replied. He pushed himself up so that he was sitting at her feet. She followed in suit, thoroughly surprising him when she leaned against him and buried her face in his chest.

He wasn't sure what to do about that. Comforting people wasn't his strong suit, she knew as much from the few times she'd been in the hospital, but he couldn't walk away from it this time, not like he usually tried to. He didn't want to. With a small sigh, he wrapped his arm around her waist while his other wrapped around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, though it was barely audible as it was muffled by his jacket.

"What are you apologizing for?" He knit his brows.

Gently, he pushed her away from him and grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. There were tears at the corner of her eyes and she was biting into her lower lip again. The look in her eyes told him she knew damn well he knew what she was apologizing about, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You've seen me nearly break down how many times? Do you really think I'm bothered by this?"

She averted her gaze and her grip on his jacket tightened. She knew he was right, but she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed, not with the way she was clinging to him right now. If anything, he was the only thing keeping her from completely breaking down as it was. She just wasn't used to being like this around people; her sister and Vivi were the only two who'd ever seen her in such a state and even then the times were sparing.

Luffy and them had seen it once, but that was completely different story.

"Nami-ya," he sighed.

"I know, I know," she mumbled.

She let her head fall against his chest again and took another deep breath. "I'll be fine."

He didn't fully believe her, but he wasn't going to push the matter.

Just as he leaned down to kiss her temple, a gesture he wasn't even aware of until after the fact, the door to Nami's apartment opened and Nojiko stepped in. She gave him the same sly look she had when she left. At first he'd thought it was because of his current position, though his gaze quickly turned into a glare when Shachi and Penguin stepped in behind her.

Neither one made an attempt to hide the looks that had twisted their face, though he noted that while Shachi seemed completely surprised, Penguin's expression was annoyingly smug.

"What are you two doing here?"

"You weren't answering your phone," Penguin shrugged. "And after what happened yesterday..."

"We were worried," Shachi finished.

Nami gave Law a pointed glare. She'd caught the way Penguin's words trailed off, and she'd learned in the months that she'd known them that they often avoided stating things other people weren't supposed to know.

Law's glare hardened. It didn't soften when he glanced down at Nami, who was looking like she was ready to start questioning him. Before she could, he adverted his attention to Nojiko. "Why didn't you tell them I was busy?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't aware that I needed to cover for you or that you were hiding anything."

He was about to say that there was nothing to hide, but the fact that Nami was still practically sitting in his lap told otherwise.

"Although," her tone sounded thoughtful, but he didn't miss the hard undertone, "I wasn't expecting to come back to find my sister practically straddling you."

"I had a nightmare," Nami said flatly as she finally untangled herself from Law and settled onto the couch next to him.

Nojiko's expression softened a bit. She smiled then, and pulled an orange from her purse. "It's from the grove," she said simply. "I meant to give it to you sooner, but I forgot I'd left it in my car."

Nami cracked a smile and caught the fruit effortlessly. "Thanks."

"Oh, before I forget, Robin said she and the others were leaving for Alabasta in a couple days. They told me to let you know when I got home."

She and the others? "You're not going?"

Nojiko shook her head. "I know she invited me, but I can't afford to leave for a month. I need to get a job and pay my phone bill before it's turned off. Not to mention school and all that."

She was about to protest, but Nojiko cut her off. "Besides, I just got done moving from one place, I'd rather not spend a month in Alabasta so soon. I already spoke to Vivi about it, she understands."

Nami gave her a skeptical look, but didn't push the matter. She was right, after all, and Nojiko was not the type to sit back and relax when she needed to get herself back on her feet again. She knew that all too well.

"I know she invited you too."

Nojiko's gaze was on Law now.

"Can't get out of work," he replied.

Both her and Nami saw the way Penguin and Shachi tensed at the statement.

"Law, can I talk to you for a moment?" Nami's tone was steely, and the look she shot him brokered no argument.

Without another word she pushed herself off the couch and towards the front door.

As soon as they were alone, she turned to him with a sharp frown. "You're not telling me something."

He leaned against the door with his hands shoved in his pockets. His gaze remained impassive as he regarded her. She had her hands on her hips and her entire stance told him she wasn't about to accept excuses. "And what would I not be telling you?"

"Quite a bit, actually," she snorted. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that she was annoyed, the furrow in her brows told him as much. "Let's start with what happened to your leg."

"I told you, I slipped." While he held his expression, there was an edge to his tone.

He was not about to tell her what really happened.

"I hope you know I don't believe you."

She was testing his patience, she knew she was. The hard look in his eyes was a sure indication of that, but she didn't care.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "Don't you dare try to tell me it's none of my business either, because it is. It interfered with our date, so therefore it is my business." She waved her hand dismissively then. "Even if you don't tell me, I'll just get it out of Penguin or Shachi."

"I'm not lying to you," he ground out.

She lifted a brow at that. "If you say so. I have one question though, how exactly was there a puddle of blood in the OR? I'm not a doctor, but I've been in the hospital enough times to know that even in a bad accident, that doesn't just happen. My mother was shot in the head and in the chest and she didn't bleed enough to cause a pud-"

The image of her mother's body suddenly presented itself in her mind. She almost lost her composure for a moment, but she shoved the image aside. Now was not the time to be having an episode.

"Just what were you doing in there?"

His lips pressed into a line. He'd known she wasn't going to buy the excuse, she was too smart for that, but she'd let it slide, for the time being. That wasn't going to happen now, but just as she was adamant about digging for answers, he was adamant about keeping her in the dark. The less she knew, the better.

"Answer me."

"You're not wearing a jacket."

Nami's eye twitched. "Don't change the subject."

"You're going to catch a cold out here."

"Trafalgar Law," she hissed. She stepped towards him, her hand balling into a fist. "Answer me, damn it."

Her eyes were narrowed darkly and had he not been on edge he would have noted that she looked surprisingly attractive when she was irate. He wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if she tried to swing at him - in fact, he was expecting her to, especially when he responded.

"No."

She didn't swing at him; she didn't even make an attempt to. Instead, she unclenched her fist and turned away from him, her anger apparent. "Fine."

A loud sigh slipped past his lips. If she went back inside fuming, he was going to get an earful, most likely from both her sister and Penguin - and while he didn't know her sister, just from the few times he'd been around her, he knew she was a lot like Nami. He would definitely get an earful from her. "It's not something I can just tell you, Nami-ya. Trust me when I say it's better you don't know." He hesitated for a moment. "My boss isn't exactly the nicest man around."

She couldn't help the sharp intake of breath as she turned to him, her brows flying into her hairline. "You-"

"You're going to catch a cold." He interjected as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door. "Back inside, and no, we are not continuing this conversation."

She stared at him for a long moment and he could tell she knew what he'd been hinting at. The thing that caught him off guard, however, was the look of understanding in her gaze - as if she knew exactly what he meant, and that unsettled him.

Almost instantly his gaze snapped to the tattoo on her arm, namely the scar beneath it.

Something that happened when I was younger.

He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he had a fairly good idea of what that something was. Then again, it was all speculation. He could be entirely wrong, though the look in her eyes was leading him to believe that he wasn't. And for some reason, he didn't like it.

She'd noticed where is attention lay, and a sad smile crossed her lips. "I get it now," she muttered.

Then she shivered. "Okay, it's too cold out here."

"I told you to go back inside," he chided.

Nami couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, move so I can get inside."

Instead of moving out of her way, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers for a brief moment. "Do me a favor and don't ask about it again."

"Will you tell me eventually?"

He refused to meet her eyes. "I meant it when I said it was better you didn't know."

She snorted in response and jabbed her finger into his chest. "Trust me, Torao, it's probably nothing I haven't seen or heard before."

Instead of offering her an answer, he kissed her again. "I'm going home. I've got paperwork I need to finish and work tomorrow morning. Tell Shachi and Penguin come help me down the stairs."

"Come by tomorrow," Nami said. "Since it's probably the only free day I'll have for the next month."

"If I get off work before midnight, I'll try. If not, I'll try to stop by the day after."

She smiled at that. "Good. I'm going in before I end up freezing to death." Before she opened the door, she pushed herself onto the tips of her toes and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. "Night."

"Night, Nami-ya."


End file.
